Come Clarity
by Zenkindoflove
Summary: Twenty years is a long time to stay gone...
1. Prologue

**AN: **Okay, I couldn't help myself. I had to post something of this story on here! Even though I'm not done with Anything For You Doll, I just had to post this. I've had a real big creative spurt this past weekend. Hopefully I can keep up with the two stories evenly. Anyways. I have 4 chapters of this story already written but I'm not going to post the rest of the chapters until I get good feedback on each. So I guess I'll let this story sit here for about a week. Then update... so on, and so on.

**Summary: **Twenty years is a long time to stay gone...

I know most people don't enjoy stories too far in the future about the gang's kids, but I have a feeling that this one might be an exception. Just give it a chance. I have a feeling you guys will enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. This isn't just a story about Jackie and Hyde finding each other again. Its also about a very important person who indirectly was affected by them losing each other.

Read and Review!

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Prologue: So Lost 

Cryptopsy's "Faceless Unknown" blasted through his stereo speakers. The pounding bass drums and fast electric guitar seemed perfect for tonight. He would be feeling the jet lag right now if it wasn't for disappointment eating away at his gut. No, tonight wasn't the night to catch up on sleep from the flight from Vegas… tonight was the night to change.

Zach Hyde pulled his pocket knife out of his jeans while he scrounged around for the trash bag he hid underneath his bed earlier that day. He carefully cut the plastic open and laid it out on his floor, just below the only mirror in his room. If he was going to do this right, he had to make the least amount of mess as possible.

_Why did I ever insist on seeing her_? He silently questioned to himself with a long, drawn out sigh. He hated to admit it but his dad was right all along, and he really hated it when his dad was right. That was just another thing to add to the laundry list of things he and his father had in common, always wanting to be right and too stubborn to believe otherwise. But maybe things like that would change for good after what he was about to do.

Zach walked to his desk and pulled a pair of scissors from the top drawer. He set them on his night stand, preparing his instruments neatly. He turned the volume up on the stereo just a little louder to make sure his dad didn't hear a thing. Used to, when he first started listening to death metal, his dad would come into his room and lecture him about when he was a teenager and rock music was actually good. Now he would let Zach listen to his music as loud as he wanted just as long it didn't drown his own out.

Zach stood on the lain out trash bag and stripped down to his boxers. He looked at himself in the mirror erected before him and studied his reflection. Long, light brown, curly hair sat on top of a scowled face with defining features, some that looked just like his dad's, others that were different he now could tell came from her.

So long he had wondered who his second part really was. He never expected her to be a poor, drunken whore, no matter how many of the closest people in his life told him differently. He really had to see for himself. His Aunt Donna was kind enough to accompany him since his dad refused to see Zach's mother ever again. "She abandoned both you and me, Zach." He had said.

She was such a wreck. Her face told a story of a hard life, but the lack of clothes on her body and her passed out client in the room allowed for no sympathy. She was very surprised that he came to see her, wanted to find her, and wanted to speak with her. However that surprised voice didn't hide her urgency for him to leave just as fast as he arrived. What kind of woman didn't contain an ounce of love for her son?

According to Aunt Donna, his father's mom didn't either, and that's really why she thought his father resented his mother so much. She left her son just like his mother left him, and he never wanted his kids to ever feel that kind of pain. It made Zach feel a little more connected to his father, but that connection had been there for a very long time. He was looking for a connection to someone else… to find his the other half of his identity.

As the memories flooded his mind, he just wanted to forget the journey of finding his mother. With a new strength he picked up the scissors and started cutting away.

Locks of hair feel all around him. When he was done his hair was a patchy mess and needed some trimming up. He picked up the electric clippers from the nightstand and removed the guard. The buzzing of metal dancing against metal seemed to flow perfectly with the strumming electric notes in the background. He pushed the blades as close to his scalp as possible and ran the vibrating machine clear across the top of his head, rubbing his head with his hand in its wake. Stroke by stroke, what remained of the family fro as his dad loved to call it with a hint of pride in his voice, slowly disappeared with only a short military style of stubble remaining.

Once he was finished, Zach stared back at his reflection. He looked so different and felt so different. He wasn't even recognizable to himself, but he took that as a good thing. The purpose of his trip to Vegas was to find himself and figure something out about his past that no one liked to talk about. Instead it caused him to be even more lost than before. No longer did he want to have anything to do with that whore that he would only refer to as Sam with just as much malice in his voice as his dad did.

And for reasons unknown to him, he couldn't help but feel anger toward his dad. Granted his dad did try to warn him, but maybe if the jerk would actually talk about his past more often it would make him less curious. All he said was to trust him. Trust him? You don't trust a man with so many secrets.

Zach's ice blue eyes starred back into one another, but he didn't find in them what he hoped he would. How could someone be so lost at just seventeen?

* * *

She rolled over to check on her husband with deadness in her drooping eyes. The clock read 4:07 AM and the last time she checked the empty space next to her it was 2:00Am. It looked like it would be another lonely night for Jackie Beulah Krueger. The family photo next to the alarm clock hauntingly starred back at her, reminding her that those empty smiles were not just a temporary thing. She had lived the worst part of the last 10 years of her life just like this, each day stabbing her heart away more and more. 

Twenty years ago, in 1981, she left the only place she could truly call home in search for her heart again. She landed face first in the arms of a soon to be attorney with a wedding ring on her finger faster than it took to find him. It was so tempting, so comforting, and so free of emotion that she fell right into her life long trap. The first few years were wonderful; shopping for her dream house, raising her precious son, and the thought of her husband cheating was something only in her worst nightmares. Now she was living in her nightmare, her son completely ignored her, and her dream house was missing the one thing that made it a dream: a family.

She left Point Place, Wisconsin to dilute herself. She was too emotional of a person to watch the love of her life destroy his life and deny every emotion he had inside, watch her only best friend drift farther and farther away, jump from one guy to the next just to feel pretty again, and fail at her dream of being a tv star. Leaving was the only option at that point and for the longest time she didn't regret the decision whatsoever. But now, in the suffocating darkness of her master bedroom in her huge house, that girl inside that she had beat down a long time ago was raging to get out. That girl hated this life, hated all of the fake happiness that consumed every part of her waking day. That girl knew that it was all just a façade, the same front her family had put up and made her secretly despise all the riches in the world. That girl realized all of this long ago where her life began in a dirty basement with the people she would love the most in this entire world.

Maybe it was that this was the millionth time (or at least it felt that way) that she had spent her sleepless nights thinking these same thoughts and feeling these same emotions, but Jackie felt her lifeless body being carried to the closet of her bedroom. Her robotic hands packed as much clothes as she thought she would need and grabbed for her bathroom essentials. Her throbbing heart took over her brain and caused her to change out of her pajamas and put on some casual clothes. As she walked through her overbearing and towering house, she didn't need the pain anymore to will herself to run again. This time she was running back to the only place she knew true happiness; she was running home.


	2. Ch 1: Confrontation Uno

**AN: **Okay. So obviously this hasn't been anywhere near a week, but I got excellent reviews on the prologue and I really didn't want to leave you guys hanging. Thanks for all the great reviews. I wasn't expecting such a wonderful response! Alright, so part of me doesn't like this chapter, but the information it holds is very necessary. I hope it gets just as good of a response, maybe even better!

Enjoy!

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Chapter 1: Confrontation Uno 

Zach walked down the stairs the next morning, allowing the smell of pancakes and bacon to be his guide. His morning had started out better than the day before, but he still couldn't help but feel bitter about his new situation. On awakening, he felt his whole self accept his new attitude about people. His first challenge of the day would be a fight with his father about his lack of hair.

Zach cautiously stepped into his fairly large kitchen to find his dad standing at the stove cooking away. His back was to him and Zach took notice to find solace in the hesitation. He opened the refrigerator, "What's for breakfast?"

Without turning around Hyde responded, "The Sunday usual."

Zach chugged from the orange juice jug. He noticed how much lighter his head felt tipped back without the mop of hair. After putting the jug back in the refrigerator, he moved his way past his father to the cupboard to get a plate. Hyde was too concentrated on flipping pancakes to take notice of his new look.

He took a seat at the bar and patiently waited. A nervous ball rolled around in his stomach tempting him to just leave and not eat. He wasn't even sure if he could hold down his pancakes. But then he remembered why he shaved his head and that he had no reason to be afraid of his dad whatsoever. Sure he was going to flip out, but what could he really do? He had never grounded him severely or resorted to discipline just because he didn't like some of the things Zach did. Mostly his father let him be himself and just gave his opinion if he didn't like it.

Hyde flipped the last pancake onto the plate next to him. He turned the stove off and picked up the serving plates in both hands. Once he turned around and finally looked at his son, he was surprised he didn't ruin breakfast by dropping the plates to the floor.

Zach watched his father's reaction play over his face: first shock, then confusion, and finally a look of realization. He stalked over to the bar and slowly set the plates down in front of Zach. He raised one eyebrow and studied his son. Zach never broke the stare, despite wanting to. Finally the pressure became too much.

"What?" he asked stupidly.

Hyde smirked and scoffed. "You aren't going to play stupid this time. You know what I'm looking at."

Zach looked down at his plate and felt slightly ashamed. He buried it deep inside as he spoke up for himself. He had already become a master of Zen at a very early age, this conversation would be easy. "So what?" He reached forward nonchalantly and forked a few pancakes off the plate and onto his own. Even though he wasn't looking at him, Zach could tell his father was shaking his head.

"So when did you do this? Last night?" Hyde was trying to keep his cool.

"Yeah." Zach chewed. Fewer words, fewer problems.

Hyde sighed. "So why did you do it?"

Zach shrugged. "Just wanted to."

Hyde had enough. He was older now and a father. Sometimes he just grew tired of the zen games. Each time Zach did this, he felt like karma was getting sweet, sweet revenge for all the people he used the exact same antics with. Well, karma was a bitch. "But why Zach?" He allowed his walls to fall and used his 'I'm disappointed' fatherly voice. "It was the family.."

"Yeah, Yeah, family fro, I know." Zach interrupted. He waved a hand showing that he didn't need the speech.

Hyde crossed his arms. He went through all the possibilities of why his son would do something like this. He and WB both had spent years programming some kind of pride in Zach. The lineage of hair was never supposed to be broken. Well, at least not by Zach since WB had shaved his fro a long time ago. It was just the principle of things.

"You aren't going to become one of those skinheads are you?" Hyde asked cautiously.

Zach snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah Dad. I'm a quarter black but they don't seem to care since I look like a white boy." He scoffed. "Please."

Hyde sat down. If it wasn't some kind of fashion statement, then he had no idea what it could be. Unless… "You aren't doing this just to piss me off are you?"

Zach paused with the fork in his mouth. "No," He grinned. "But it's a perk."

It was times like these that Hyde really hated that he had raised such a smartass. It was also times like these that he couldn't help but notice how much like himself his son had become: rebellious, aloof, and hated everyone. Part of him was proud, but the other part of him, the one that wanted Zach to be better than him in every way, wasn't. He had always hoped that Zach wouldn't live the same miserable life he had, but somewhere, somehow, it seemed like he had. He really wanted to stop the process, but he just didn't know how. Stopping Zach from visiting Sam had completely backfired and apparently produced horrible results, results that caused his boy to mutilate his own head.

Zach felt Hyde's heavy stare and every second grew more uncomfortable. He had learned well from his dad how to ignore people and pretend like nothing bothered him. So, he just mimicked. Even though he hated when people would go on and on about how much of his father he was, and he tried everything to prove them wrong, this was the one thing that he was glad to do. Turn his dad's own methods against him. It really got a rise out of him, and almost nothing ever did that.

Just then, Hyde cleared his throat. Zach knew that he only did that when he wanted to talk about something serious. "So, you still haven't talked about what happened with Sam."

Zach froze in his seat. He really didn't want to have this conversation. He scanned his brain for a proper answer to give. He found none. "What is there to say," he began, "We met, we talked, I left. That's all." He gulped down a huge knot of breath that seemed to have built in his throat.

Hyde knew that things would go badly; he just didn't expect them to go _this_ badly. He had a feeling that Zach's shaved head was more than just to piss him off. In fact, he was almost positive it was the direct result from seeing his mother. When Zach didn't want to talk about things, Hyde usually just left him alone until he came around due to understanding of not wanting to being pushed, but this time, Hyde was afraid that Zach might isolate himself away from everyone. That was the very thing Hyde wanted to save him from.

"Zach, I know you don't want to talk about this, but I think it's important." But before he could finish the point he wanted to make, Zach slammed his silverware down in front of him.

"You know." Hyde could hear anger shaking in Zach's voice. "I find it so funny that you never wanted to talk about her before, but suddenly you do." And with that Zach got up from stool and marched out of the kitchen.

Hyde buried his head in his hands. He knew he was a hypocrite. He expected Zach to open up to him when he still couldn't. He would just have to give Donna a call later.

* * *

Jackie arrived in Madison's airport. It was much smaller than the one in Boston, but Jackie felt less suffocated now that she was closer to Point Place. She had called her husband when she arrived in Chicago. She told him that they were through and she wanted a divorce. Once she stated that she didn't care about his money, he became much more willing about the matter. She simply told him that she would call him soon with her new address, and he said he would send the papers in the mail. She had tried to call her son, but he never answered his phone.

She got in a taxi and headed to the nearest hotel. She still had no idea what she was going to do from here. She thought about calling Donna, but then she remembered she didn't know whether Donna married or not, so she couldn't look her up. It would probably be easy to look up Forman just to see if Donna had ended up marrying Eric like Jackie always dreamed she would. Jackie was scared though. She abandoned Donna just like she had abandoned the rest of her friends, and Jackie had no idea if Donna hated her or not.

Instead, Jackie decided she would just relax in her hotel and get things straight in her head. The last time she ran away, she just jumped right into things, not even allowing herself time to regret the decision she had made. Instead she let that regret grow slowly over the years, until it had exploded inside of her the night before. She had a feeling though that this time, there would be no regrets. Well, except for leaving Bobby, her son. She really hoped that he wouldn't hate her for this.

Jackie turned over and dialed her son's number. She twirled her necklace and bit her lip as she listened to each ring. When his voice mail picked up, her heart sank.

She climbed into the large hotel bed, and rested her head on the fluffy pillow. She felt so lost, so tired, so lonely, but she knew that this was the only way to find happiness again. Her eyes traveled around the red walls of the room, and she swallowed acidy vomit at the bottom of her throat. At that moment, every thing reminded her of the first time she ran away. Not when she left for Boston, but when she left for Chicago in 1979. She hadn't really returned home since then. True, she did come back to everyone, but things were never the same. Eric and Kelso were gone, Donna was an empty vessel, Fez was just different, and Steven… Steven was impenetrable. There was no way to get inside of him again.

Jackie wiped her hand across her face, feeling the hot tears that streaked their way down. She let out a coughing sob and clenched her hands to her heart. She hadn't cried like this in years and made no efforts to stop herself. It was therapeutic. Each jolting sob and piercing cry lulled her into a place she hadn't been in a long time. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

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**AN2: **Chapter 2 should be up shortly, once again, depending on response. I'm into Chapter 5 in writing, so hopefully I can keep this steady pace and will always have an update waiting for you guys. I definitely don't want to get behind on this story. 


	3. Ch 2: Confrontation Dos

**AN: **Okay, so I intended to get this chapter up early, but probably all of you noticed that this site was messing up for a few days. I didn't want to risk anything. Anyways, you guys are freakin' awesome! Your reviews were absolutely wonderful. I have never recieved such a response. Not only do you guys seem to be generally interested, I'm actually making a few people think really deeply into this. That is so rewarding for an author to know.

Alright, so... I know you guys have a lot of questions, especially about Jackie leaving her son and he not answering her phone calls. You won't be getting too many answers now, but trust me, they will be coming. Just be patient. There are many parallels between characters and situations in this story, and they are all put there for a reason.

Enjoy!

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Chapter Two: Confrontation Dos 

Jackie awoke to a beam of light shining on her face. A tiny opening in between the curtains allowed for the evening sun to say its goodbyes in her hotel room. She rolled on her back and rubbed her sleepy eyes. She slowly began to remember where she was and why she was there. She gave a light groan, forcing herself out of the comfortable bed.

She turned on the bathroom shower and stripped her clothes away. As she climbed in, enjoying the warm massage from the water, she began planning exactly what she would do. She decided calling Donna would be the best bet. It was worth the risk. She had missed her friend so much over the years. All of the friends she had made in Boston never came close to the relationship she had had with the red-headed lumberjack. Jackie then thought of what would happen once she got to Point Place. Did everyone still live there, or did they move on like she had? The ones that did remain, would they hate her and refuse to see her?

Her thoughts ended with Steven. She really didn't need to wonder what had happened with him, because she had done a lot of it over the years. Sometimes she thought it was unhealthy how much she actually thought about her ex boyfriend. But now that she was so much closer to him, she felt that girly nervousness build in her chest. What would happen when they finally came face to face? Would he be just as cold and hateful as when she left? Would he still think she was pretty even though she is much older now? And how did he look? Did he have a family she would get to meet, and did he finally marry again?

There were so many different possibilities that could come from meeting her friends again, but no matter how scared Jackie felt, she knew she had to do this. Stepping out of the shower and feeling the cool air against her warm skin chilled her to the bone. She wrapped the terrycloth robe around her body and snuggled in the enveloping warmth. As she climbed into the bed she pulled the phonebook out that was sitting next to the telephone in her room. She found the Point Place pages and looked under F. She found only one set of Formans listed. _Forman, Eric and Donna_. So they had gotten married after all. Jackie stared down at the glaring numbers. It's so easy just to dial, but to actually find the words to explain herself was an entirely different ballpark.

Jackie leaned back against the wall and sighed. She figured that the only way this would work would be just to leap right in and do it, quick and easy, like pulling off a band aid. She picked up the phone and began dialing "5-6-5…" _Click! _Slamming the phone down, she let out a long breath. "It's okay, you can do this." She said out loud.

Instead she dialed her son's phone number once again. She listened to it ring multiple times and his voice mail picking up. Downtrodden, she put the phone on its hook. _Maybe he is mad at me because I just left a note. _Jackie really hoped he would come around soon.

Jackie gazed outside the curtain of her room and noticed it was completely dark outside. She loved Wisconsin night. It seemed like one could see all the stars in the night sky, unlike living in an illuminated city. Sighing to herself again, she attempted to dial Donna and Eric's number once more. This time she actually went through with it and listened closely to the rings. Her heart raced faster and her stomach had the perfect timing of becoming an acrobat as she waited for someone to answer. The ringing stopped and a young man's voice answered the phone.

"Hello."

"Hi, is Donna Pinc… I mean Forman there?"

Bile churned when her questioned was only followed by a long, thinking pause. "You aren't trying to sell something are you?"

Jackie bit down on her lip. "Uh no. I'm an old friend."

Another pause followed as if the young man was deciding whether or not to tell her if she could speak to Donna or not. "Alright," he finally said. "Hold on."

Jackie had a mini panic attack as silence filled the ear piece. This was it. This was her time to try to make everything right again. She heard off in the distance of the Forman home the young man's voice calling out "Mom." Jackie slightly smiled to herself. She liked the idea of Donna and Eric having kids. She just hoped she would get to meet them.

Suddenly, some scrambling could be heard and a familiar voice answered. "Hello."

Jackie was lost for words. She tried to squeak out something, but she just sat there with her mouth hanging open.

"Hello?" Donna repeated.

"Uh… Hi Donna." Jackie finally managed to get out. "Th-his." Jackie gulped once, trying to steady her voice. "This is Jackie."

Silence once again met Jackie's ear. God, she hated awkward silences on the phone.

"Jackie? Jackie Burkhardt?" Donna questioned.

Jackie gave a slight laugh. "Yeah, the one and only. Um… but actually it's Jackie Kruegar now."

"Oh my god! I can't believe you're calling. How are you?" Donna's voice sounded excited and it gave Jackie the confidence she needed.

"I'm good. Actually I'm in Madison right now."

"You are? Well what brings you back out here?"

"Well," Jackie hesitated, thinking of the right words. Should she just come right out and tell her that she left her husband and was all alone? "Well, I'm actually on my way to Point Place for a visit." She knew she sounded very wary.

"Jackie, it's been twenty years and you are coming for a visit now?" The shift in Donna's voice stung needles into Jackie's heart. The guilt she had felt for two decades weighed down on her shoulders making her feel heavy and horrible.

"Yeah, about that. I'm… I'm sorry Donna." Her voice cracked, but she had to keep her composure. Tears would get her no where now.

"It's okay Jackie." Donna's voice soothed across the line. "I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I know why you left. I have no room to judge you." Jackie heard the same guilt she was feeling in Donna's voice. "I know that I wasn't a very good friend to you before you left."

Tears welled up in Jackie's eyes. "It's fine Donna. Don't feel bad about that." She sniffled and wiped her tears away. "Look, I'm really not, well, "visiting". More like… I'm coming back."

"Back?" Donna echoed. "Why?"

Jackie squeezed the phone and tried to suppress emotion. "Well, I sort of left my husband."

"Oh my god! Why did you do that?" the red head exclaimed.

"It's a long story. But, I was wondering if maybe I could come see you."

"Of course, Jackie. You can stay with us as long as you like." Jackie let out her held in breath. She silently thanked Donna for seeing through her words. "What hotel are you at."

Jackie gave Donna the directions to her hotel. "Alright, I'll come and get you tomorrow afternoon."

"Thanks Donna. This really means a lot to me." Jackie didn't even try to hold back her tears.

"No problem Jackie. I just miss you so much. We all miss you."

"I miss you guys too." This time Jackie broke down. She let out a sob as Donna sushed her.

"It's okay Jackie. Everything will be fine by tomorrow."

"I sure hope so."

Jackie and Donna said their goodbyes and hung up. They decided they would wait to catch up on the ride back to Point Place. Jackie reclined on the bed again and thought of Donna's words. _They really missed me._

* * *

Zach made his way down the stairs to his best friend's basement. The room was dark, and pounding music blasted from the speakers. His little group of friends sat on the basement couch, laughing and conversing. He sat down next to Josh Forman who lived in this house. They had been best friends since they could talk and had been inseparable since then. 

"What's with the hair?" Josh questioned, adjusting his own long red hair that was pulled back in a low pony tail.

"Just decided I needed a change." Josh nodded and handed Zach a beer from the mini fridge.

"So how did things go with seeing your mom?"

Zach scoffed. "Psht. Bad. She didn't even want to see me."

"That sucks man. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I don't care about her anymore." Josh picked up that his friend didn't want to discuss the matter any further, and he dropped the subject. Zach looked around at his other friends who were too busy making out or reading a magazine. The only one who took notice of him was Kat. Once he met her eyes, she smiled. "I like your hair Zach."

Zach felt like his chest was on fire and his muscles tensed. Kat always seemed to do that when she smiled at him. "Thanks." He looked away as soon as he answered, not wanting her to continue giving him compliments. She was so transparent with her feelings for him. She had been his friend for a while now and the thought of her liking him just made him uncomfortable. He was the type of guy who hooked up with girls from time to time, never staying with one for more than a week. He didn't like the idea of having a steady girlfriend. The idea of getting close to someone like that scared the hell out of him, but of course he would never admit that to anyone.

"You know she really likes you." Josh whispered, breaking Zach from his thoughts.

"I know." Zach responded back.

"Then why do you do that to her all the time. You ignoring her and her being sad about it really makes things awkward." Zach met Josh's eyes and didn't like the sternness behind his gaze.

"I just don't like her that way, okay?" Zach crossed his arms and looked back at Kat. She sat in the opposing chair, pretending to be very interested in her fingernails. She always did that when she was embarrassed. Guilt constricted Zach's chest like a boa constrictor. It wasn't really that he didn't like her. Who wouldn't like her? She was gorgeous with her light brown hair that draped around her shoulders and her heart shaped face. She listened to bands like Suffocation and Decapitated, and she was smart as hell. The truth was Zach was pretty much crazy about Kat, but he just couldn't be her boyfriend. He didn't know how to be a boyfriend. All he knew how to be was a rude, smartass. She didn't deserve to be with someone like that.

* * *

**AN2: **Like I said, many parallels! Keep those amazing reviews coming! 


	4. Ch 3: Scream of the Butterfly

**AN: ** Reviews went down a little bit. I hope I'm not losing some of you. The ones I did get were amazing as always. Keep them coming guys.

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Chapter 3: Scream of the Butterfly 

"It went really bad Hyde." Donna stated as she talked with her life long friend on the phone shortly after hanging up with Jackie. "She is a lot worse off then we thought. I'm pretty sure she is a prostitute even though she claims she still works at one of the casinos. She didn't even want to see Zach. Not really. She pretended like she was happy to see him, but she practically shooed us away as soon as we walked through the door."

Hyde rubbed his eyes and leaned against the headboard on his bed. "That bitch."

"I know." Donna responded.

"Well, how did Zach react? Was he really upset?

Donna sighed on the other line. "You know how he is Hyde. He clammed up every time I tried to ask him something. I think he was really disappointed."

"Fuck." Rage boiled in the pit of Hyde's stomach. "I knew this would happen. I should have never let him go to Vegas."

"There was no way you were going to stop him." She assured. "He had to find out for himself."

"I know. I just really wish he didn't have to."

"I'm sure everything will be okay soon."

"I don't know. He pretty much hates me as of right now."

"Yeah, and Cindy hated me for weeks when I told her she had to wait a few more years to date that one boy. They're teenagers Hyde. They get over these things easily."

"Maybe you're right." But Hyde had a feeling that she wasn't right. "I'll talk to you later."

"Wait!" Donna stopped him as if remembering something important.

"What?"

"You'll never guess who called me today?"

Hyde pondered it. "Laurie asking you guys for more money again?"

"No…"

He thought about it some more. "Mrs. Forman?"

"No…"

"Well who damnit!"

Hyde listened as Donna giggled a little bit at his anger. "Okay, are you ready for this?"

Hyde rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

"Jackie."

His heart stopped and his jaw dropped. _Jackie? How could it be?_

"Jackie?"

"Yep."

"Jackie, as in loud, bratty girl who ran away twenty years ago?"

"Yep, the one you were madly in love with." Donna giggled again.

"Whatever. So what did she want?"

"Well," Donna began. "Apparently she left her husband and ran back here. She called me just a little bit ago from a hotel in Madison."

Hyde's heart pounded in his chest. _She's back. _

"I'm going to get her tomorrow."

_She's going to be here tomorrow! _"That's cool."

Donna rolled her eyes on the other line. "Are you going to say anything else other than 'that's cool'?"

"Nope."

"Whatever, I'm going to bring her to my house tomorrow and we're going to all get together for dinner."

"That's cool."

Donna gritted her teeth. Hyde was still stubborn as hell. "Well I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright see ya."

As Hyde hung up the phone, he felt dazed and confused. He hadn't seen Jackie in so long. When she left all those years ago, he was upset, but more with himself than anybody. He knew that he was the one who drove her away. It was his intention, just not so far. It wasn't until she left for good that he realized just how important she was to him, even if they weren't together. He died that night that he found Kelso in her hotel room, but a part of him that still had an ounce of hope was completely obliterated when she left in '81. Self-loathing was a mere understatement.

He figured that when and if she ever came back, he would be angry at her. But he didn't feel that burning sensation that filled hate in his heart. Instead, he felt rejuvenated, and even one could go as far to say excited. His mind began wondering of all the things that would be different about her, and all the things that stayed the same.

Of all the women he had been with, none had ever even come even within a fraction to being as important to him as Jackie was. Back when they were dating, he always tried to deny to himself just how much he loved her. When she left for Chicago, it really made him think about how his insecurities and doubts that could possibly ruin his life. But when he saw Kelso in that towel, every ounce of hope left him. He spent weeks wallowing in the idea that Jackie and Kelso had hooked up as soon as she thought he had thrown her to the curbside. When he came back and Jackie told him that nothing happened at all, he felt like this would be their last chance to make things right.

Sam walking through the door ruined everything. Hyde blew his last chance, and he just wouldn't admit to himself that things could ever go back to normal. Everything had snowballed into one big mess, just to be completely obliterated with his so called "wife". Hyde never let that hope into his heart ever again. He just let the loneliness and hate that he had for himself keep him in a dark place.

After Jackie left for good, Hyde just jumped around from girl to girl, all of them nameless and faceless. Even when Sam came back, she meant nothing at all. The only thing that saved him was Zach. Zach made him feel again.

* * *

Zach stumbled into his bedroom. The alcohol flowing through his system seemed obsolete once adrenaline replaced it. He violently knocked over the chair sitting at his desk. The sting on his hand felt good. He flopped onto his bed trying to drown out remembering what had just happened that night. 

_The music, loud and empowering, soothed his mind. He and Josh stood at the front of the stage swaying and headbanging along to the beat. They all decided to see some bands play at a local show in Kenosha. They had become pretty good friends with some of the members, so they drank the night away. As the last song came to an end, the band bid farewell to everyone and threatened them to stick around for the next act. Zach wasn't going to miss it for the world._

_He and Josh stepped outside to find Kat talking to some guys nearby. Jealousy burned Zach's heart, but he shook it away with another chug of the drink in his hand. He wasn't completely wasted yet, but he had a good buzz._

"_These fuckers need to get their asses inside for the next band." Josh stated as he looked around at all the people just standing outside. "I swear, Wisconsin crowds suck ass." _

_Zach nodded as he took another sip of his beer. "Yeah, well, that'll all change once we get our band playing around here. It'll be revolutionary."_

_Josh grinned at his friend. "Yep. Well make them appreciate good music."_

_Zach looked over at Kat again and noticed she seemed uncomfortable. Her arms lay folded in front of her chest and she had a weary look to her. Just when she turned around to walk away, one of the guys grabbed her ass. Zach made a fist to his side but chose to do nothing. Kat was a big girl. She could take care of herself. She seemed to be doing just that as Zach watched her chew the guy out that touched her._

_What happened next sent Zach into overdrive. The guy grabbed Kat by the arms and pinned her to the truck parked beside them. He leaned in close and Zach saw a look of pain wince across her face._

_Before he knew what he was doing, he dropped his beer to the ground and marched over to the group with Josh not to far behind. The other guys who seemed to be friends with the perpetrator, backed away as Zach made his way directly behind him. He didn't see Kat peer at him with relief in her eyes. All he remembered was tapping the guy on the shoulder and as soon as he turned around, he punched him. Kat moved out of the way just in time as the guy fell to the ground like a ton of bricks. He was out cold. _

_Josh stood by and made sure the asshole's friends didn't want to start something, but they just backed away, showing their indifference. "Come on man." He said to Zach once they both noticed a fight wouldn't happen that night. "Let's go."_

_Zach could feel his blood boiling. All of his hair stood on end and his heart raced like he had just run a marathon. Adrenaline still circulated through his body and he just needed to hit something else. _

_A tiny hand touched his forearm and Kat's watery green eyes bored into his heart. He felt his body slowly coming down._

"_Thank you." She whispered. Zach studied her face. She had the giddiest 'my hero look' on it. Zach realized right away that he had made a mistake. He tore his arm from her grasp and began walking in the other direction._

_Seconds later, Kat's angry voice whipped through the air. "I can't fucking believe you! You are the most confusing person who has ever lived."_

_Zach turned around. "What are you talking about?"_

"_One minute you're wailing on some guy for touching me and the next you look at me like I'm repulsive! God, what's the matter with you?" Her voice shattered the air around them. She was shaking all over, and Josh came up and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't touch me!" She screamed._

_Zach felt horrible. All of his instincts told him to hold the crying girl that stood before him, but he knew that this was the only way. "I just don't think its right for a guy to treat girls that way, okay? It has nothing to do with my feelings for you."_

"_Bullshit!" She spat back. She ran passed him towards the car in the parking lot._

_The car ride home was spent in silence._

Zach buried his face in the pillow. He hated turning her away like that, but he just had to do it. He wanted to spare her the torment of being with someone like him.

He felt so sick and confused. Part of him just wished that there was someone who he could talk to about this, someone out there who could understand. He knew no such person existed. He would just have to become cold and hollow.

He wondered how his dad did it. Ever since Zach could remember, he had never had a girlfriend. For years his Aunt Donna tried to set him up with women because "your son needs a mother". His dad tried, but there was just something in him that wouldn't let any of those women in. He didn't trust any of them to be a mother to his son. Zach didn't mind. Donna was as good of a mother as he was ever going to get.

* * *

**AN2: **The comment about Wisconsin crowds is not intended to offend anyone here that does live in Wisconsin. It actually mirrors more of the city I live in. The next update should be up by Wednesday or Thursday. Remember, reviewing is good for the soul. : ) 


	5. Ch 4: Forgive and Regret

**AN: **Thanks to everyone for the excellent reviews. They were so amazing and thoughtful. You guys are the best reviewers out there.

A little more information about everyone's past is going to be revealed in this chapter. I know that Jackie hasn't even gotten to Point Place yet, but don't worry. Her reunion with everyone is coming very soon.

**Warning: **A lot of foul language in this one. So if you are a person who doesn't like people dropping f-bombs, just pretend they are saying "fudge" : p.

* * *

Chapter 4: Forgive and Regret

Jackie stood outside of the hotel, waiting for Donna to pull up. Her insides twisted and turned. She felt so exposed and vulnerable. Her conversation with Donna the night before had eased her nerves about meeting her friend again, but she still felt sick to her stomach. Everything was so surreal; she wasn't quite sure whether she was dreaming or not. When a dark green suburban with a red head at the wheel pulled up in front of her, Jackie's heart pounded like a drum. Then, Donna smiled at her.

"Get in." She called out of the rolled down passenger window.

Jackie put her things in the back and climbed into the passenger seat. The two women stared at each other for a few seconds and squealed. They hugged each other as tight as they could, both tearing up from the reunion.

"Look how beautiful you look!" Donna exclaimed pulling away from the brunette. "You've hardly aged at all."

"You look great too." Jackie cooed.

"So tell me everything. Where have you even been all these years?" Donna pulled out of the hotel parking lot and headed to the interstate.

"Well," Jackie began. "I headed to Boston because I had some family there on my dad's side. When I was there I worked at this really high standing restaurant as a waitress where I met my husband. He was about to graduate law school. We hit it off from there and got married with in three months." Jackie grew a little sad while remembering but shrugged it off to continue her story. "After three years I had my son, Robert, who I call Bobby." Jackie tried to think of something else to say but found herself blank.

"Did you have a career?" Donna asked still keeping her eyes on the road.

"Um, no. Dennis, my husband, he didn't want me to work. I was pretty much a housewife for a while except for the few years in the beginning of my marriage when I worked as a secretary in Dennis's law firm. After that I just took care of Bobby until we sent him to private school."

Silence fell between the two. Jackie knew what question was coming next.

"So why did you leave all of that Jackie?" Donna's voice was calm and cautious, testing out the waters.

"Um.." Jackie stuttered on her words. She knew Donna would want answers, but that still didn't make it any easier to explain. "I just wasn't happy. Dennis began cheating, and Bobby and I grew distant after he went off to school. I… I just had to get away."

"I understand. It sounds like to me that you didn't have much to live for there."

Jackie soaked in Donna's words. She really didn't have much to live for in Boston. No job, no son, no husband. Jackie wondered how she dealt with the loneliness for so many years.

"So," Jackie broke the tension. "Tell me all about what you have been up to."

"Well, Eric and I got married about two years after you left. I had my son, Josh, 9 months later. He's eighteen now. Then Cindy came later. She is fourteen. I'm a novelist and Eric is a freshman science teacher at the Point Place High. We live in his parent's house now. They actually ended up moving to Florida around the same time that we graduated."

"That's wonderful Donna. I'm so happy for you." Her voice fell. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for the wedding."

Donna reached over and gripped her friend's knee. "It's okay Jackie. All that matters is you are here with us now."

Jackie silently nodded. "Well, how's everyone else? What is Micheal up to?"

"Kelso ended up marrying Brooke and they had two more kids after Betsy. He's still a cop, she's still a librarian, and they still live in Chicago. Fez moved out there with them and opened up a hair salon that he is doing very well with. He married this Korean girl named Lizzy about ten years ago."

"Well that's great too." It sounded like everyone's life was great. It saddened Jackie that she couldn't have spent the past twenty years enjoying it with her friends.

"And Steven?"

Jackie noticed Donna's demeanor changed. She shifted in her seat and kept her eyes on the road. "Uh, Hyde's good. He still owns Grooves and it has expanded into 4 more stores. His father ended up selling him the stores, so he is the sole owner of them." Donna stopped a second, but continued. "He has a kid too."

"Really?" Jackie asked. She really just wanted Donna to tell her every little detail. She hated that she was dancing around the subject.

"Yeah, his name is Zach and he's seventeen. He's practically one of our kids, he comes over so much. He and Josh are best friends, practically brothers."

"Hmm." Jackie thought out loud. "Sounds like Steven and Eric."

"Yeah, they really do remind me of those two a lot."

Jackie really wanted to ask if Steven was married. She figured if Donna was willing to tell her that he had a son, then she would be willing to tell her that he had a wife. If a wife wasn't in the picture, then where had Zach's mother gone to?

Finally Jackie got the courage to ask, "What about Zach's mother? You didn't mention her?"

Jackie watched as Donna bit her lip and sighed. "Well," hesitation dripped from her voice. "Around the time Eric and I got married… Sam came back to town."

Jackie felt her heart constrict. Now she saw why Donna didn't want to say anything. Anybody in the world but Sam would have music to Jackie's ears. Well, perhaps not that lovely, but it wouldn't feel like Jackie had stepped into hell on earth.

"Well, after a while Hyde took her back, and they were okay… for a little while." The drop in Donna's voice brightened Jackie's spirits a little.

"Sam ended up getting pregnant. A few months after she had the baby, she just left one night and never came back."

The blood drained from Jackie's hands and feet. _She just left? Poor Steven._ Jackie thought of how devastated Hyde must have been, to have his own child's mother walk out on them. Her heart ached for him.

"Ever since then, Hyde hasn't really dated much."

"That must have really torn him up." Jackie put in.

"Yeah. He didn't really care much for her so much as he really loves Zach. I think the only reason he put up with her for so long was that she was carrying his kid. Once she left, he just didn't trust anybody again."

Jackie couldn't help but feel guilty again. If he was so hurt by Sam leaving, she wondered how he felt when she left. At the time she could care less if Steven Hyde pained about her leaving. In fact, she ate up the idea of him pining over her after he had hurt her so bad. But now she had twenty years and forgiveness between her old self and now. She just hoped Hyde had done the same.

She couldn't help but compare herself to Sam. She had left her son just like that whore had. Even though Bobby was seventeen and barely ever at home, she still couldn't help but think she had abandoned him. She just hoped that he could find it in his heart to forgive her.

* * *

Zach's awoke with a brain splitting headache. Bright sunshine filled his room. Oh, how he loathed the sun, especially at this very moment.

"Hangover?" A voice from the sun called to him. It sounded like Josh, but he knew his only best friend would die before disturbing him in such a way. Josh knew from experience how bad a hangover felt.

"I said, HANGOVER?" Zach swung at the annoying presence as soon as its deafening scream tore through his ear canal.

"What the fuck man?" He covered his eyes with his hands and rolled over to meet his abuser. "Have you lost your damn mind?"

Zach heard an evil snicker. If there was anything he hated more, it was when people treated him as if he was stupid. "Have I lost my damn mind?" Josh laughed again. Suddenly his voiced changed from jolly to menacing, "Have you lost _your_ fucking mind Zach?"

Alarmed, Zach dared the sunlight. He peeked one eye open and looked at his friend's angry face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about? What the hell was with that stunt you pulled yesterday? You punch some guy for manhandling Kat and then you treat her like a piece of garbage! What the fuck man?"

Zach groaned underneath his hands. He really didn't want to have this conversation. He didn't want to have any conversations anymore. He just wanted people to accept he was an asshole and leave him alone so he could nurse his hangover in peace.

"I don't know man, okay? I just lost it." Zach watched as his friend shook his head disbelievingly. "It must have been the alcohol."

"Bullshit Zach. You know exactly what it is, but you are too much of a chicken shit to admit to it."

Zach and Josh had been in a few fights. Most of the time it ended up being a draw after both of them had the tar beaten out of each other. That had been years ago and Josh was much bigger now. He didn't appear to have inherited his father's skinny stature whatsoever. However, Zach was really thinking about reconsidering their peaceful, unspoken truce.

"There is nothing to admit to Josh." He snarled back. "I just don't want her having those feelings for me, okay?"

"Well you don't have to be such a jerk about it. After I dropped you off last night, she cried the entire ride back to her house. And I'm not talking about a sniffle here and a sniffle there. I mean waterfalls pouring off this girl's face."

Zach closed his eyes again, and rested his head on the pillow. He knew Kat would be upset, but it made him feel like scumbag of the year once someone actually told him just how upset she was. Josh must have noticed the guilt plastered on his face, because his tone softened.

"Look man. I don't like telling you what to do, because it isn't my place. But, I think you need to figure your shit out before something like this happens again. I hate to see our group break apart because of stupid shit like this."

Zach gulped down what little pride he had left. "I know man… I just… I just need a little more time, okay? I'm not feeling so well about things."

Josh's strong hand squeezed Zach's arm. "I know man." He paused for a second. "Look, if you want to talk about anything… well… you know."

Zach really considered Josh's offer. The only thing that stopped him from spilling his soul was the guarantee that he knew once he started, he wouldn't be able to stop. He would just put it off for another time. "Yeah, I've got something to talk about. You think you can shut those blinds and get me an aspirin, because I've got a horrible fucking hangover."

Josh laughed at his friend. He had really hoped he would get somewhere with him today, but it seemed that Zach was going to be stubborn about things just like he always was. "Yeah man."

While standing up and shutting the blinds, Josh remembered another piece of information he wanted Zach to know. "Hey, my mom's having some kind of dinner party thing for an old friend of theirs. She wants you and your dad to come."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. Just some woman that used to live here and apparently was practically her best friend in high school."

"Where has she been all this time?"

"Don't know. The only thing I know is that when Mom and Dad were talking about it, it seemed pretty serious." Josh walked over to the bedroom door. "I'll get you that aspirin. We can go together in a few hours."

"Alright, Thanks man."

"No problem. Just remember. Next time I have to do this, I'm seriously going to kick your ass."

"Gotcha."

* * *

**AN2: ** I hope all of you liked it. Tell me what you thought, even if you didn't. 


	6. Ch 5: In the Absence of the Sacred

**AN: **You guys absolutely amaze me. With each chapter I update, the reviews just get better and better. It makes me so happy to see the kinds of things that you guys are noticing and thinking about when reading this story. I'm a little nervous about the Eric/Jackie interaction because I just don't think that I can write Eric's character very well. I feel comfortable enough with Jackie, Donna, and Hyde, but I haven't done a lot of fanfic scenes with Eric in it. I'm not going to give any kind of summary of this chapter, so just read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

Chapter 5: In the Absence of the Sacred 

"You guys have to stay out of the basement for the next few weeks." Eric stated as he watched his son and the boy he thought of as a son eat lunch at the kitchen table.

With a mouth full of a turkey sandwich, Josh looked at his father in disbelief, "Wha?"

"Well, Jackie needs somewhere to stay and the basement bedroom is the only place we have." Eric stated in a matter of fact tone.

"But Dad, that's where our friends and us hang out?" Now he had two pairs of shocked eyes staring back at him as Zach turned around with a little bit of jelly smeared on his cheek.

"Well, find some other place to hang out, unless," Eric grinned at his brilliance. "Unless you want to give your room up."

Eric watched as the two boys exchanged glances. Zach seemed to like the idea, but Josh glared at his hopeful eyes. "No way." He mouthed as the other boy grunted and went back to eating his PB&J.

Eric turned around and gave a triumphant grin to himself. "But Dad," he heard his son interject again. "I thought that the basement was the Forman bat cave. It's sacred."

Eric turned around just in time to see Zach's approving nod in Josh's direction. While the comment did hit close to home, Donna withholding sex because he gave into to father-son nerd bonding outweighed completely. "Sorry Josh. We just have to make an exception this time."

Eric watched as the two boys' faces sunk. He felt very proud of himself for not giving in. He did hate to do this to his boys though. The basement was just as important to them as it had been for Eric when he was their age.

"Well, I suggest that if you have anything down there that you don't want Jackie finding, now would be a good time to put it somewhere else." The two boys caught each others deer-in-the-headlights expressions and quickly dropped their sandwiches. They rushed out of the kitchen and down to the basement. Eric chuckled to himself. He wondered if he and Hyde had been so obvious as kids.

* * *

Jackie and Donna were parked at a gas station filling up. While Donna pumped gas Jackie searched her purse to find her wallet. She pulled the leather bound case out and unzipped it excitedly. She flipped through all of her pictures and upon finding the one she was looking for, she let out a little squeal. 

"Oh, here's the perfect picture of Bobby! Look." She handed it to Donna. The red head scanned the picture and replied, "He's a very handsome boy Jackie."

"Pshtt, well of course. Could you expect anything less?" Jackie gazed down at the picture of her son once Donna handed it back to her. Guilt weighed down on her shoulders once more. "Hey, I'll be back in a second; I'm going to make a phone call."

Jackie made her way to the side of the gas station where a pay phone was bolted to the wall. She put her change in and began dialing. Ring after ring, and there was still no answer. Jackie's heart fell once more. She put more money in the phone and dialed again. This time she decided to leave a voice mail.

"Um… hey Bobby. It's me… your mom. I just wanted to know if you read the note I left for you. I'm really sorry that I left without saying goodbye. Like I said in the note, I just had to get out of there." Jackie felt herself tear up a bit. "I really miss you and I hope next time I call, you can talk on the phone. I know you are really busy with your friends. Well, I love you. Bye." Jackie hung the phone on the receiver. A little weight seemed to lift off her shoulders, but she still couldn't help but feel like crap. Even though she hardly ever saw him anymore and they rarely talked like they used to, she still couldn't help but feel that she was abandoning her little boy. He was hardly a boy anymore. He would be starting college in the fall, and had been pretty independent the last few years of his life. He was just like his father. He loved to be in control. As soon as he entered the private high school, he demanded his own bank account and decided to live in the dorms instead of at home. He still came over at least every other weekend and attended all the dinner parties that Jackie and Dennis would host, but the relationship Jackie had with her son when he was much younger just never was the same.

Jackie toddled her way back to the car, climbing in the passenger seat feeling dejected.

* * *

Zach drummed away at a practice pad resting on the circular table in the basement. He felt so antsy. Usually around this time, he, Josh, and their friend Jeff would go to his own basement which they had changed into a practice room and play some songs they had been working on. His muscles needed their drumming fix. 

"So explain to me why we can't go to the Jam Room again?" He asked, not taking the time to stop his flashing hands and pounding feet.

"Because my mom will skin us both if we aren't here when she comes back with her friend." Josh's monotone voice replied, not taking his eyes away from the television screen.

Zach stopped drumming. "Have you ever heard your parents mention this woman before?"

Josh moved his head from side to side. "I think so. I think I remember them mentioning a Jackie from time to time. I didn't really pay attention though. Why do you ask?"

"I just think its weird how worked up everyone is getting. Like for instance, this morning, when I asked my dad if he knew this Jackie lady, he got all jumpy and left the room pretty fast."

"Yeah, well, your dad has always been a little weird."

"True."

_Meanwhile…_

"Eric honey!" Donna called off into the house. "We're here!"

Jackie looked around the house she used to consider home. It had changed so much. It felt like just yesterday that Jackie had walked into the same living room except it had a squash yellow couch, pea soup chair, and tanish brown wall paper covering every inch. The whole experience felt so surreal. Everything was in the same spot, just replaced with more modernized and contemporary furniture. Some things were still the same. It seemed like Donna and Eric had kept the den pretty intact except now the gas fireplace was painted white instead of red. The same piano sat just beside the door, and the bar still seemed to be up and running.

While taking in all of her surroundings, Jackie barely noticed Eric walk through the swinging door.

"Donna, how do you expect Josh to find religion when you bring the Devil in our own home?"

Jackie looked up to see Eric's calm, sarcastic face just in time to see a smile break across it. Never had Jackie been so happy to be referred to as Satan. He looked like he had aged more than Donna due to the patches of gray right above his ears and noticeable receding hairline. However, he still had the same boyish grin and twinkle is his eye that had always been so charming about him.

"Eric!" Jackie called and ran to give him a hug. Jackie knew it was probably awkward since she and Eric never really did show their friendship in this way, but what the hell. It had been forever.

After a few seconds of squeezing him tightly, Jackie felt Eric pat her on the back and pull away. "Alright, that's enough of that Beelzebub."

Jackie released her hold on him and turned back to Donna who was grinning at the display. "Is the basement ready for Jackie to stay in?"

"Almost, just have to get the boys out of there. I let them stay in there one last time before bye bye basement."

"Ah, I don't want to intrude. I can just stay at a hotel if this will be a problem." Jackie interjected, picking one of her duffle bag.

"Nonsense, Jackie. I'm sure those two and their friends can survive." Donna grabbed Jackie's duffle bag out of her hands and began heading in the direction of the kitchen door.

Light footsteps coming down the stairs stopped the three. A skinny, tall girl with light brown hair made her way into the living room and studied Jackie for a second with shy eyes. Donna immediately stepped forward to put her arm around her daughter. "Jackie, this is my daughter Cindy, and Cindy, this is a really good friend of mine named Jackie."

"Hello, nice to meet you." Cindy replied only taking a second to glance up at Jackie in order to be polite.

"Can you get your brother and Zach out of the basement for me?" Donna asked and Cindy nodded her head and quickly exited the room.

"She's really shy." Eric put in as soon as his daughter left the room.

Jackie grinned and nodded in his direction. She began wondering what their son looked like, and more importantly, what Steven's son looked like. She wondered if he looked just like his dad or a male version of Sam. She wasn't quite sure which one she was hoping for and which one she was dreading.

On that thought, slow, stomping steps could be heard coming from the basement stairs. Soon, three teenagers walked into the room, one being Cindy of course. The first boy that walked in Jackie immediately recognized as Eric and Donna's son. His long, red, pulled back hair and wise eyes favored Donna much more than Eric. He looked just like her, but with Eric's strong chin and eyebrows. The boy that entered behind him took Jackie by surprise. He was built just like Steven was, average height with broad shoulders. However, his shaved head left his face completely exposed for anyone to see. He didn't wear sunglasses like Steven did, or had hair to hide other parts of his face. His faced resembled his father's in many ways with slight variations here and there. But the thing that gave it away the most that this was her former lover's child was his defensive crossed arms and peering scowl.

Donna's motherly voice interrupted Jackie's studying of the children that stood before her. "Josh, Zach, why are you wearing those disgusting t-shirts?"

Both of the boys took a second to peer down at their clothes as if to remind themselves what they were wearing. That little quirk about men always confused Jackie. One of the things Jackie remembered the most about situations was the outfit she had on while it happened. She took notice of their t-shirts which had pictures of mutilated dead bodies on them.

Josh spoke up after reviewing his shirt, and Jackie recognized his voice as the one who answered the phone the day before. "It's Cannibal Corpse, Mom. It's just what they have on their t-shirts. I thought you didn't care about the clothes we wear."

"I don't normally, but I thought you would think of wearing something more, um, appropriate when meeting company."

"I'm sure its fine with Jackie." Eric piped in. "I bet it reminds her of home."

"Actually it makes me feel more welcome." Jackie grinned at she focused her gaze on Eric. "It's like I never left. People with ratty clothes and Eric being twitchy. Nope. Nothing's changed."

Donna laughed a little and Eric's smile fell off his face. "Wow," Josh said. "She burned us and you all at the same time."

"That, my son, is why we only refer to her as The Dark Lord." Eric said as he put his arm around Josh's shoulder and whispered the end of the sentence just loud enough for everyone to hear in his son's ear.

"Well," Donna said after everyone came down from the laughter. "We need to get these bags down to the basement."

While passing through the kitchen Jackie breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that it looked almost nothing like it did in the 70s. She was sure that if it did she would have to give Donna a lecture about keeping up with the times, but it seemed to her that Donna had done pretty well, especially with her lack of fashion taste. The only part of the house that she hoped looked exactly the same was the basement. The basement had and will always be an exception.

Déjà vu wasn't the proper term to express exactly how Jackie felt as she walked down the basement steps. Nostalgia overpowered her as memories flooded her mind. Everything was exactly the same, down to the posters on the walls and the couch in the middle of the room.

Donna seemed to notice the amazement on Jackie's face because she gave her a wide grin and knowing eye. "We made sure everything stayed exactly the same. It just wouldn't be the basement otherwise."

Jackie nodded her head knowingly as they moved to the back of the basement where Hyde's old bedroom used to be. Jackie felt her throat obstruct her air supply. She hadn't been in this room since she and Steven had been together. When they were apart, she would never even go near the back room. It held too many memories that stabbed at her heart. However, now was completely different. Jackie felt drawn to the tiny room where she used to spend breathless nights. She wanted to know what it looked like, and she wanted to see if it still gave her the same feeling of wanting to run and hide.

It was slightly different. There was a bed instead of a cot, nice dresser drawers and a standing mirror, but the atmosphere still felt the same. Jackie assumed that no matter what, even if it was pink with tangerine furniture, that this room would always remind her of the moments she shared with Steven. The memories and associations were just too powerful.

"Well, make yourself at home Jackie. I'm going to start making dinner." Donna said as she placed Jackie's bags down on the ground.

"When did you learn how to cook?" Jackie asked.

Donna grinned at Eric. "When I married this man and he bitched and moaned for months that he no longer had his mama's cooking to eat any more."

Donna walked out of the room, and to Jackie's surprise Eric stayed behind. Jackie lifted one of her suitcases onto the bed and began unpacking. Eric cleared his throat. "You know Jackie… things were never the same when you left."

Jackie stopped what she was doing and turned around to face Eric. He had a serious look on his face and she knew there was no more joking going on. "I'm sure you don't mean that."

"It's true Jackie. All of us have to be together just for things to be like they used to."

The tone of his voice sent chills up her spine. It seemed like he had wanted to have this conversation with her for a very long time.

"Do you remember when I left, and then Kelso?"

"Yeah."

"Well, was it the same when we left?"

"Well no, but.."

"We all have to be together. Every single one of us." His blue eyes bore into her soul and Jackie knew he meant every word of it.

"I'm so sorry I left Eric."

"It's okay. We all left at one time or another for different reasons. I'm not sure why you came back, but trust me when I say that everyone is glad that you did."

"Everyone?"

Eric nodded his head, understanding exactly what she meant.

"Everyone."

With that, Eric swiftly left the room to leave Jackie with her thoughts and unpacking. It felt good to know that she wouldn't be met with too much animosity. She guessed that absence really did make the heart grow fonder. However, twenty years is a long time to stay gone.

While placing folded clothes in drawers, she remembered the last time she was in the basement.

_1981_

_Jackie lazily toddled down the cement steps into the Forman's basement. It had been a rough week and an even tougher night. She just got back from yet another date with some guy she had randomly met. It went over just like all the others had before him and just like all the others will after. Even though she never slept with them, she always felt like such a whore by the end of the night. It was obvious that the only thing they were attracted to was her body, and nothing else. Jackie didn't blame them. It was the only thing she liked about herself too._

_She entered the basement to find only Steven passed out on the old, worn down couch. He was laying on his stomach with a beer can resting on the ground and his hand still around it. Jackie wondered for a second if he just stayed home and drank or stumbled home once he got just shit faced enough to be satisfied at a bar. Either way, finding him in this position was no surprise. It seemed like all he did these days was drink his life away._

_Jackie sat down on the floor next to his arm. She took the beer can from his hands and sipped at it. It was still a little cold. He must have just taken the plunge. So Jackie just sat with him, drinking and reflecting. Steven had never made her feel like a whore. He waited patiently for her to be ready for sex, which wasn't too long as Jackie remembered, but definitely long in Hyde's books. He loved her body but didn't completely concentrate on it. When she talked about things he didn't stare at her boobs and pretend to listen. She knew that some of those times he pretended but most of the time he genuinely wanted to know what she thought about things. They would always have so much fun with each other, even doing silly little stuff like watching Saturday Night Live or going to the movies. She felt smarter when she was with him and he always let her know that in his eyes she could be anybody._

_Warm tears drizzled down her face at all the memories. It was moments like these that Jackie seriously questioned why things had to turn out the way they did. It seemed like the moments leading up to Steven staying married to Sam were just one misguided, uncommunicative incident after another. Jackie assumed God must have hated her. If He didn't then she would have had the courage to wait for Steven's answer, never had gone to Chicago, Kelso wouldn't be in her room in a towel, and Steven would have never gone to Las Vegas were his heart turned to black. _

_Jackie hated life now. Everything just dragged along, never getting to some place better. She had no ambition or desire to succeed. It seemed liked everyday she would remember all the good times, just picking thorny roses from her soul. _

_Jackie looked back up to the sleeping man just above her. Mope all she liked, they would never be together again. There was just too much history, pain, and stubbornness. _

_Jackie had thought about leaving for a long time, but for some reason this night, which was just the same as every night, she really considered it. Not sure if she would ever see him again, Jackie pressed her face against Hyde dangling arm and planted a kiss on his skin. She placed the beer back in his hand and walked out the door._

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**AN2: **I hope you guys liked this. Let me know what you thought. Be prepared, next chapter Jackie and Hyde will meet!_  
_


	7. Ch 6: Drawing Pictures of Innocent Time

**AN: **I love each and everyone of you! You have no idea just how happy each and every one of your reviews make me. I'm so glad that everyone is enjoying the story so far. Alright, here's the "big" chapter all of you have been waiting for. Now, there isn't too much JH interaction... that'll come in the later chapters, but this is their big meeting. I hope you enoy!

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Chapter 6: Drawing Pictures of Innocent Times 

Zach sat at the kitchen table, completely mesmerized. He had been watching this new woman talk non-stop going on 30 minutes. She mostly talked about superficial crap like clothes, makeovers, etc. Zach wasn't quite sure. He hadn't been listening, just watching. To his surprise, his Aunt Donna just stood over the stove listening and smiling. From all his years, he had never known his best friend's mother to be girly and only witnessed her take pleasure in such activities on rare occasions. He wondered what it was about this tiny, brunette woman that didn't make the tall red head want to strangle her. Zach was already feeling a headache coming on from the non-ceasing chatter.

Another thing that Zach couldn't help but notice was how much younger the two women looked with their huge, laughing smiles. They talked of normal everyday things, but there was just something about their chemistry that anyone who didn't even know what was being said could tell they were enjoying their conversation.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Zach asked as he looked at Josh who seemed to be just as bored as he was.

"Yeah." He gruffly responded. "Let's go to my room."

As the two got up to walk away, the sliding glass door opened, revealing another long haired deviant to society. It could only be Jeff, their best friend and bandmate.

"Where were you guys last night? You missed Expletive play and this crazy guy with a bloody nose looking for this guy that punched him out. It was awesome."

Zach and Josh just exchanged knowing, silent glances. "Something came up, dude. We had to leave." Josh stated nonchalantly.

"Well what was it?"

"You know," Zach butted in. "The usual."

Jeff gave the two a distrusting eye. "No. It isn't _usual_ for you guys to miss Expletive!"

"Well, it happened to be yesterday's usual." Zach retorted while patting his friend on the shoulder. "You get my drift?"

Jeff rolled his eyes incredulously. "Alright, I'm not the stupid one of this group, but if you guys want to be all secretive with each other than that's fine."

"Good boy Jeff." Josh said, still unmoving like a statue. Zach slapped his friend on the back and smiled evilly.

"Well," Jeff tiredly began. "Do you guys at least want to go to the Jam Room? Or have you really lost your minds?"

"They can't." Now it was Donna who piped in. "They have to stay here for dinner. You can join us if you like."

Jeff sighed and shook his head in dismay. "I guess I can do that." He finally said.

"Now," Zach began while clapping his hands together. "Back to what we were doing."

Josh and Zach made a beeline out of the kitchen, leaving Jeff behind in complete confusion.

"You should follow them." Donna said matter-of-factly.

Jeff sighed again and followed the path through the house that his friends had just traveled. Once he was out of sight, Jackie continued on with their conversation.

"So, that Donna, is my nightly ritual before I go to bed. It's what has allowed me stay looking young and beautiful." Jackie gave a hair flip. "You should really think about using it, Donna."

Donna smiled at another one of Jackie's bandhanded compliments. She really had missed the 5 foot tall midget.

"So," Jackie's voice dropped a little, signaling she had something serious to ask. "Who is all going to come to dinner?"

"Pretty much just us and I told Hyde to come over after he gets off of work." Donna watched Jackie as she nodded with her lips clamped tightly together. Donna decided to change the subject. "Mr. and Mrs. Forman are coming up for a visit in about a week. They always come up for the 4th of July. Besides, it gets too hot for them during this time of year."

"Well that'll be great. I can't wait to see them again." Jackie put on another forced smile. "Do they know that I came back?"

"Yeah, I told Mrs. Forman last night. She's already planning a party for you. I told her about this big dinner, but she just said that you deserve a huge celebration with good food." Donna rolled her eyes as she continued tossing the salad she had just made.

"Good food?" Jackie questioned with a smirk.

"Yeah," Donna sighed. "She is slightly turning into her mother… at least in the food area. I think she just still loves to baby Eric and nobody's dinners are good enough."

Jackie laughed at the cynicism laced in Donna's voice. "That's just how mothers are. Dennis's mother always loves to mention how I'm just some plain Midwestern girl. When Bobby gets married, I'll probably insult his wife too."

A grin formed on Donna's face. "Yeah, but you insult everybody, so that's a given."

"I do not you lumberjack! I give helpful criticism." Jackie stuck her nose in the air and stood pompously against the counter. The air around them settled, and the pricks of a question eating away at Jackie's gut taunted her to allow its emergence.

"So," Jackie rolled around the question in her head, thinking of the best way to word it. She came to the conclusion that there was no way to conceal her fear and just came out with it. "Steven isn't mad at me for leaving, is he?"

Donna looked at her best friend who nervously waited for an answer. She was still so transparent with her feelings, no matter how much she tried to hide them. _A lot like Hyde. _Even though they hadn't seen each other in twenty years, Jackie still showed the same girlish nervousness that she did at 17 when she and Hyde started dating. Donna wondered what that could mean for the two of them. Was there some kind of hope? Donna pushed the thought away as she remembered it was stupid to lift expectations for these two. Jackie was probably responding the same way that Donna would if she was in her situation except with wondering if Eric hated her. First true loves just do that to a person.

"No, I don't think so." Lie. Donna knew so. She knew that Hyde didn't hate Jackie at all. Once while drunk, he practically spilled his soul to her. It was funny how the Zenmaster could loosen up with some liquor in him, but the conversation ended up becoming really sad. The two of them were the perfect example of what happens when people just stop communicating to each other.

"Well good. I don't need his grumpy attitude anyways. I have enough to worry about already." Donna listened as she watched her friend try to down play the situation. Some things never change.

* * *

Hyde pulled into the driveway, his blood whirling around his body, sending tingling sensations through his arms and chest. He hadn't been this nervous since Sam went into labor with Zach. Then, it is was okay to freak out a little because he was having a kid, but now it was more important than ever to just remain cool and aloof. He couldn't turn into a bumbling idiot now. He breathed in and out of his nose slowly, calming his nerves. _Okay, I can do this._

A rapping noise on his window disrupted his meditation. Hyde turned angrily to Forman grinning and waving like an idiot. He opened up the door and stepped out. Eric had a smug grin on his face as he met his best friend's eyes.

"Taking a breather, Hyde?" Hyde really wanted to smack that stupid grin right off of Eric's face, but he had to remember Zen.

"You know, you are especially more annoying during the summer. When you don't have school to worry about, you just lurk around trying to find people to piss off."

"Why do you think Donna celebrates every year come August?" The two shared smiles and Hyde forgot why he was mad, but that stomach falling feeling washed over him again.

* * *

Jackie looked at the clock and noticed how close to dinner it was. "I'm going to go make a drink." 

As Jackie walked through the swinging door, Hyde and Eric entered through the sliding one. Hyde looked around the room to find no tiny brunette in sight.

"Where's Jackie?" Eric asked.

"In the other room making herself a drink."

Hyde hesitated for a second but figured he just had to get it all over with. "Um… I'm going to go say hi." And with that he walked out of the kitchen, leaving Eric and Donna exchanging questioning glances.

When Hyde entered the living room, the only thing that he seemed to be able to see was her. She had her back toward him and was slowly pouring herself a glass. She was still slim but with a little more curves in all the right places. Her hair still hung long on her shoulders, curled slightly to give it some bounce. A sharp breath hitched in Hyde's throat. She was beautiful.

"Hey Jackie." The deep, familiar voice startled her. She knew exactly who it was and suddenly felt too scared to turn around. She could feel a hot blush form in her cheeks and her abdomen clenched in anticipation. She gulped down a ball that had made its way into the base of her throat. It was now or never.

As Jackie faced him, two hearts began to beat in unison. The air around them was thin, leaving them fully exposed to each other. They drank each others images, enjoying the taste for just a second. Tiny hooks pulled at their hearts in timed rhythms as they felt the other's eyes steal bits and pieces of their bodies.

Zach made his way down the Forman staircase wondering when dinner would be ready. About halfway down he took witness of the scene occurring in the living room. Jackie and his father just stood silent, staring at each other. Curious, Zach stopped descending and watched the moment unfold. The air around him felt thick with mystery. Out of no where, Jackie slowly responded. "Hey Steven."

_Steven?_

* * *

Zach sat at the dining room table devouring the food on his plate taking the time in between bites to peer at his dad and Jackie. They sat next to each other at the table and every once in a while would carry on a quiet conversation between the two of them. Every now and then his dad would smile at her and they would meet each other's gaze, and she would nervously smile back. Zach was completely confused. 

Everyone else was too absorbed with eating and their own little discussions to notice. Sometimes, Josh's dad would ask Jackie something about living in Boston, and she would happily ramble about mundane crap. Other times, Jackie would ask everyone else about things that have been happening in Point Place. That usually led into a discussion about a memory from way back in the 70s.

The strangest thing of it all was how this loud, tiny woman kept referring to his dad as Steven, and he just let her do it. No body but Grandma Kitty and Grandpa Red ever called his father Steven. It was Hyde, or in his case Dad, and nothing else. Since he was little, Zach had watched his father quickly correct people when they would try to call him by his first name. But now, it seemed like he barely even noticed the slip. However, Zach couldn't help but see that it seemed like his dad actually _enjoyed_ this woman calling him Steven.

Anger grew in the pit of Zach's stomach causing him to lose his appetite. He just didn't understand why no one seemed to care that Jackie up and left one day and just now was coming back. She annoyed him like no other person had before, but everyone else seemed to enjoy her company. They would lightly burn her and tease her, but everything was good natured about it. Zach couldn't help but feel that there was some big secret being kept that no one wanted to talk about. Zach hated secrets with a passion. He hated being kept in the dark.

Zach looked over at his father and Jackie once again as she giggled at a burn he had just thrown at Eric. The laughing twinkling eyes she shined up at him were just too much. He looked over at his Aunt Donna and noticed that she was looking at the two also.

"Donna," Zach whispered as he tried to keep his question as concealed as possible. "What is going on between my dad and this Jackie lady?"

Donna turned to Zach and grinned slightly at the boy. He really was quick when it came to catching onto things.

"Zach," Donna answered just as quietly. "I'd like you to meet Jackie Burkhardt, the love of your father's life."

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**AN2: **Reviews make the world go round. : ) 


	8. Ch 7: Distance is Darkness

**AN: **As most of you probably have noticed, a lot of people haven't been updating. It's because something is wrong with uploading and we have had to cheat our way around the problem. BUT, we did find a way and you guys should be very grateful. I know I am lol.

Anyways, this chapter is somewhat short, but I couldn't think of another way to extend it. Another update will be up within two days so don't worry. ;). The response to the last chapter was absolutely amazing and I now think I have the best reviewers ever. You guys rock my world.

Alright, so the next 3 chapters will be pretty angsty so just bare with me. The outcome should be satisfying.

And to my anonymous reviewer last time, Bobby going to boarding school is no way related to his personality and does not reflect my views of people who attend boarding school. He is the way he is because of the way he was raised. I only had him attend boarding school to show early independence and it gives me an easier way for him to distance himself.

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Chapter 7: Distance is Darkness

The pattering rain trickled on the windows of Hyde's car as father and son made their way home. The sound of the evening storm was just to calm for Zach. A hurricane of emotions swarmed around in his insides. He couldn't rid his mind of the source of his rage. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. The piercing pain released endorphins that soothed his anger only temporarily. _So many secrets. _Zach closed his eyes and rested his head against the passenger window. Where was some angry music when he needed it?

Meanwhile, Hyde was too entranced with the night's events to notice his brooding son. The evening had gone better than he expected. Surprisingly, things weren't too awkward between Jackie and him. They carried on good conversations without burning each other, a big difference compared to the last time he saw her. Just remembering how beautiful she looked excited the butterflies that fluttered around in his gut all night long. He had kept his cool though, no matter how girlish he felt on the inside. There were a few moments when he wondered whether or not his eyes gave away just how much he missed her. It was funny when he thought about it. He hadn't worn his glasses in years, but as soon as Jackie comes back to town and gazes into his uncovered eyes in that certain way that always made his heart stop beating, he wanted to take shelter and hide.

Hyde glanced over at Zach who looked like he was ready to take hostages and never surrender. The biggest difference between he and his son was that Zach always let his face show his emotions. He could shrug off things just like his dear old dad, but he never was able to let the world know that he just didn't care. Hyde took that as one success at protecting his son from ending up like him. He just didn't live a shitty enough life to become numb to things. It had been two days since the conversation at the breakfast table, and Zach had only said a few words to him since then. His destructive behavior was beginning to scare Hyde. Only he knew just how dangerous it could be to be angry.

"So, you haven't said much." Hyde said while turning on his blinker to turn into his neighborhood.

"Neither have you." Zach coolly responded.

_Still on this?_ Hyde clearly saw through Zach's words. His voice was too menacing to just be referring to the car ride. Hyde silently took back all the times he refused to talk about his problems. "Zach, if you really want to talk about this, I'm willing to."

"I don't want to talk about anything." The coldness in his voice chilled Hyde's skin. He could feel his only child slipping away from him. Anger grew like a weed inside him. If the calm, open approach wouldn't work, he guessed his own methods would have to do.

Hyde slammed on the brakes as he pulled into the driveway and quickly spun his body around to face Zach.

"I'm trying really hard here, Zach." The booming in his voice startled Zach's hard exterior. "I've given you time to tell me what has been bothering you, but you just won't come around. I know you're hurt about what a shitty person your mom ended up being, but you don't need her."

He watched as his son's eyes narrowed, getting ready to lash out his own arsenal. "It's not even about her anymore." He screamed. "It's about you! And…" His voice whimpered, chiseling away Hyde's anger. "I'm starting to think that it has always been about you." Zach snapped the door handle open and violently slammed the car door, leaving Hyde shell shocked.

Hyde slammed his head against the steering wheel. He couldn't understand what he did wrong. All of Zach's life he just tried to protect him from the things he had to fight against everyday of his life.

_1988 _

_Hyde opened the door of his apartment and let the little child march his way through. He noticed his four year old son wasn't as spunky as usual when he picked him up from Donna's. He silently watched as Zach took his miniature coat off and placed it on the couch. He climbed on top of one of the cushions with a frown resting on his face. _

_"Hey." Hyde said as he sat next to his son. "What's the matter little guy?" _

_The child's angelic features formed into a heart wrenching pout as he peeped out his question. "Why did my Mommy leave, Daddy?" _

_Hyde was sure he could feel his heart tearing at the tears that pooled in Zach's eyes. _

_"Listen to me Zach, and I want you to listen closely because I'm only going to say this once." Hyde looked deep into his son's eyes and began once he saw he had his full attention. "It is not your fault that your mom left. She just wasn't ready to be a mother. That has nothing to do with you." Hyde closely watched the words being absorbed by the toddler. _

_"But it isn't fair!" He cried. "All of the other kids have mommies." _

_Hyde winced at the pain he saw in his child's face. "None of that matters, Zach. Do you know why?" Zach stopped crying and waited for his father's answer. "Because none of those kids have Uncle Eric or Aunt Donna, Grandma Kitty or Grandpa Red, Papa B, and" he paused a moment trying hard not to choke on his words. "…and they don't have me." _

_"I love you, Daddy." Zach whimpered as he threw himself in his father's arms and wrapped his own tiny arms around Hyde's neck. _

_"I love you too, son."_

* * *

Jackie perched herself on the basement couch anxiously waiting for Donna to get finished with popping some popcorn for the two upstairs. Jackie still felt lighter than air from that night. She reminisced with every one of the good old days while still keeping her well refined party guest charm in tact. Now that she was seemingly okay with everyone in Point Place, the others would be easy to face.

Jackie let out a huge sigh and leaned against the comfy cushions. Her skin still tingled from the lasting effects of Steven's eyes. She couldn't help but notice how good he still looked. He might not still have had his muscular physique or his tight clinging clothes, but he was still smoking for a man of forty one. Several times Jackie caught herself looking him over and had to continually remind herself that she was still officially a married woman. Besides, she didn't expect herself to just jump right into the mess that was her and Steven. However, she would be a complete liar if she said she didn't feel tempted.

Jackie sighed again as she slowly remembered why she really asked Donna to go upstairs and make popcorn. She had to call Bobby again. She really didn't want to dampen her blissful spirit, but it had been many hours since she last tried. Jackie picked up the phone and began dialing the number. As each ring sounded she made a little wish to the stars for her son to just pick up the phone, even if he was angry. After the fourth ring, a click on the other line answered Jackie's wishes and loud, unintelligible sounds could be heard through the earpiece.

"Hello?" Bobby loudly asked as he tried to talk through the noise.

"Hi, Bobby." Jackie cooed, incredibly happy that her son finally answered.

"Mom?" He asked, still trying to be heard over the noise.

"Yes, it's me, Mom. Um, what is going on over there?"

"Uh, I can't really hear you mom, I'm sort of at a party right now." She heard Bobby laughing and calling to someone else about returning in just a minute.

"Well, I was wondering if you got my note that I left you. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't upset." Jackie felt her body grow more worried as she slowly began piecing things together.

"No, mom I'm not mad. You had to leave, you had to leave. But hey, can we talk about this later? I'm sort of busy right now."

Jackie felt ice push its way through her veins as she started to comprehend exactly what her son was saying, "Um… sure, I guess…"

"Alright, love ya Mom. Bye." Jackie was met with a click and the drowning dial tone of being hung up on.

Just then Donna returned, steaming, buttery popcorn in a white plastic bowl in her hand. "I got the popcorn Jackie. Now let's watch that movie." She took notice of Jackie's distant stare. "Is something wrong?"

Jackie slowly put the phone down on its receiver and turned her head in the direction of Donna. "He…" She muttered, feeling tears touch her warm face before she even realized she was crying. "He didn't even care that I left."

"Who didn't Jackie?" Donna said as she placed the bowl of popcorn down on the circular table. Jackie didn't answer her. Hard emotion thrust itself inside her body as she began to sob her troubles away. She barely noticed Donna envelope her into a hug. She was just glad she had someone's shoulder to cry on.

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**AN2: **I hope you guys enjoyed. Tell me what you thought. I love to hear your opinions. 


	9. Ch 8: Reflect the Storm

**AN: **So, here's the update I promised. This one is longer than the last, and I hope you guys enjoy it. The reviews were wonderful as always!

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Chapter 8: Reflect the Storm

"Where's Kat?" Jeff asked everyone in the basement. After a little bit of begging and compliments, Josh and Jeff finally convinced Donna to let them hang out in the basement. Jackie saying that it was fine with her as long as they didn't dirty up any of her things helped a bit to.

"I called her earlier and she said she felt bad." Meg said with a flip of her long, black hair. She sat in the middle of the couch next to her boyfriend, Chase, with Jeff to the right of them. Zach, Josh, and Jeff met Chase a few months before and started hanging out because he had interest in being in their band. Ever since then, Meg, who was seemingly Kat's best friend had been sucking face with him. Zach couldn't help but feel angry at the disinterest that hung in Meg's voice, even though he was the one that caused Kat's pain in the first place.

Zach watched as Chase and Meg began making out again. Usually he just didn't give a damn about Meg and her slutty friend forgetting ways, but he was already pissed off. "So Chase, when are you going to come to the Jam Room and start writing some songs with us?"

Chase peeked an eye open and slowly peeled his face away from Meg. "Um… soon guys, I just haven't come up with any material, that's all."

"Hmm…" Zach hummed sarcastically, loading his gun. "That's funny. That's exactly the same thing you said the last time I asked, and the time before that, and the time before that."

Chase was taken slightly aback but recovered like any decent bullshitter would. "I just haven't been inspired. That's all."

"Well, me, Josh, and Jeff here get inspired when we play together. Maybe you should just come one day." Zach leaned forward on one of his knees and stared at the boy. He could feel the malice in his voice drip off the words that poured out of his mouth.

"What are you trying to get at Zach?" The tension in the room was high. Everyone sat dead still as they waited for Zach's response. Zach was planning on retaliating with something nasty. He was officially tired of life, and he just didn't want to deal with people like Meg and Chase anymore. He caught Josh's eye from across the table. His face told him to hold his tongue and play nice. No matter how much Zach wanted to get in a fight, pound this guy's face in, and just say "fuck you" to everybody, he actually held his tongue.

"Nothing man. Just trying to get this band started." He leaned back in the folding chair again and relaxed his body, but his muscles just wouldn't loosen. He was tense, angry, and just wanted to be left alone. "Well guys," he said while standing up. "I gotta use the John."

Zach made his way up the stairs of the basement knowing fully well that Meg would start running her fat, whorey mouth. Maybe they would just leave. He hoped so.

When he entered the kitchen, he found Donna and Jackie sitting at the table drinking coffee. It appeared like they were in a deep conversation due to the solemn look on their faces. When Donna finally noticed him at the refrigerator, she stopped whatever it was that she was saying.

"Hey Zach. How are you today?" Donna asked in a pseudo cheerful voice. Zach opened the soda can that he had grabbed from the fridge and took a sip. "Um, I was actually wondering if I can talk to you for a second."

Jackie immediately stood up and looked to the red head. "I'll just go make that phone call to Dennis." She walked out of the kitchen, giving Zach a smile as she left.

Zach took Jackie's empty seat next to Donna. He could tell that she was very concerned about him. Everyone seemed to be concerned about him lately. He just didn't understand why. They all took careful steps around him and watched what they said. He guessed they just didn't understand that all he wanted was the blatant truth behind everything.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about Zach?" Donna asked while taking a sip from her mug.

"I want to know what's going on."

Donna squinted her eyes at him in confusion. "About what?"

"About everything." Zach stated in a sigh. He began tracing patterns in the table cloth. "About what you told me last night. I just don't understand it."

He looked up at her and he saw a small smile form on her face. "What? That your father actually loved somebody?"

Zach looked down in shame. He wasn't sure why he felt so shameful for wondering about something like that. Anybody using logical reasoning could see it was a perfectly innocent thing to question, but something unexplainable tugged inside Zach. He just couldn't pin point the feeling. "Yeah. He has never loved any woman before. Not that I have seen."

He heard Donna let out a big sigh. He took it as a signal that she would begin explaining everything to him. He could always count on her to tell him the truth. "Look Zach. Your father and Jackie dated a long time ago, when they were still in high school. Their relationship lasted for two years and then things just got out of hand and they broke up."

"That's it? They just broke up? Well what happened to make them break up? Something had to." Zach felt himself growing impatient with Donna's vagueness.

He watched as Donna had a tiny internal battle within her self. Her eyes grew sad and she let her head drop to her shoulders. She looked back up at him and into his eyes. Melancholy danced across the shimmer of her green orbs. She finally spoke up. "That is something your father will have to tell you."

Zach clenched his fists together. "No." He shook his head in disagreement. "He won't tell me. He doesn't talk about things like this. He barely talks about my mother." Zach placed his forehead in his upturned hands. He was really counting on Donna tell him what it is that he wanted to know. Zach wasn't even really sure why he wanted to know so badly. He guessed that this feeling of emptiness and not knowing who he truly is had to deal with not knowing anything about his past. If this woman was apart of his dad's life at one point, that meant she was apart of his.

He felt Donna's comforting hand rest on the top of his head. "Zach, I'm sure he'll tell you if you just ask."

Zach shook his head from side to side, still covering his eyes, and said in a defeated tone, "No he won't." He released his head and looked back up at Donna's comforting eyes.

"Zach," She stared directly into Zach's eyes, demanding him to listen to her. "Honey, I know that your father is withdrawn, and doesn't like to talk about things like this, but you just have to tell him that you need to know. Just explain to him that you are tired of not being told things."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Just trust me. He has to tell you." Her voice dropped signaling the importance in her words. "He's the only one that can."

Zach gave up and relaxed a bit. He leaned back in the chair, and sighed at his surrender. "So I guess it must be pretty important if he has to be the one to tell me."

Donna gave a light smile again. "It is." She got up and walked over to the sink to dispose of her mug. As she began to walk away, she stopped for a second and looked back at Zach. "I do want you to know, that what they had was special."

Zach sat stunned in his seat. His mind kept rambling on and on with all of the possibilities that could have been his father and Jackie. Donna said that they dated while they were still in high school, so that must have meant that Jackie came before his mother. He wondered what it was that drove this Jackie woman to run away, and if it really had anything to do with his father at all. But most importantly, Zach wondered what the looming feeling of dread that hung over his body was and if this new situation was creating it. Zach shook his head again and brushed off the icy feeling, blaming it on his nerves about talking to his dad later.

Donna left Zach with is thoughts to find Jackie sitting on the living room couch with her back towards her. She had the phone pressed against her ear while having her other arm hold her body together.

"Yeah, alright. Okay…. Just send them in the mail. …. Okay. Bye." Jackie clicked the phone off and softly set it onto the table next to her. Donna watched as her friend stared off into space. She didn't look sad or angry. She looked numb and out of touch with everything.

"So what did Dennis say?" Donna quietly asked as she took her place next to Jackie on the couch.

Donna carefully watched as Jackie shifted her far away eyes to her. It was eerie seeing Jackie like this, so out of tune with the world.

"He said he'd send the papers in the mail. They should be here in a few days. He already has them written up and ready for me to sign." Her voice drew out dryly and no emotion was visible on her face.

"Are you okay Jackie?" Donna asked. She watched the question bounced around in Jackie's body.

"Yeah, actually I'm fine." The words came out with realization moving them along. Donna could tell this wasn't Jackie's way of clamming up and hiding from her. She really meant what she said.

"He was so emotionless on the phone." Jackie began as she retold the experience she just had to Donna and to herself. "His words were so cold. I think he has been waiting for something like this to happen for a while now. It hurt to hear him respond to me that way, but then I just couldn't help remembering that that is how it has been for years now."

Jackie met Donna's eyes once more and saw tears welling up in their corners. She felt her own tears pushing through and didn't bother to stop them.

"Jackie," Donna's voice cracked through the air as her tears rolled down her cheeks. "I know I said before that I understood why you left, but I really want to know why it was you left. What finally pushed you?"

Jackie didn't have to question which time Donna meant. She quietly laughed to herself as she realized that she actually had a list of times she had run now. She answered Donna with open sincerity.

"It really wasn't one thing that pushed me. Just one day I realized just how unhappy I was with everyone… with Steven, with you… with myself. The night that I left, just something inside of me snapped and forced me to leave and never look back. I can't tell you any more than that."

Jackie watched as Donna silently cried to herself. In their youth, there were only a few times that Jackie had ever seen Donna cry. It was always a hard thing to watch. Donna had always been strong and independent one of the two of them, even though sometimes Jackie questioned that assumption. In the darkest hour of her life, she cursed Donna's name and all the times she wasn't there for her. She couldn't help but laugh then at what a charade Donna put on to everyone else. Donna was just as weak of a woman as Jackie was, but Jackie was never one to hold grudges. All she could feel now was the need to comfort her best friend.

"I'm sorry Jackie." Donna said through her tears. "I'm sorry for what I did to you back then. I don't know what was wrong with me." Donna began to sob as the guilt held her down. "I'm sorry that I was even friends with Sam. I just didn't think about how much pain you were in. I was way too caught up in Eric being gone and my own shit."

Jackie scooted over to her friend and wrapped her arms around her body. "It's okay Donna. I understand."

Donna cried harder into her hands. "I've wanted to tell you this for so long. Whenever you left, I was so angry at you. I hated you for weeks for not saying goodbye. But then," Donna stopped herself, questioning whether she should reveal the identity of the person that set her straight. "But then, one day I really thought about everything and the more I thought about it, the worst I felt. I was no longer angry at you though. I was angry at myself. I was a horrible friend Jackie, and because of that, I lost you."

Jackie hugged Donna closer stroking her hair. "It's okay Donna. I forgive you."

The two women hugged and cried for a little bit longer, cherishing the moment between them. Donna felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders while Jackie felt satisfaction with being able to forgive her best friend. No longer was there anger or hate between the two. Their tears washed all of the animosity away.

While recovering, Donna asked Jackie another question that had been bothering her for quite sometime.

"Why didn't you say goodbye to us?"

Jackie bit her lip and responded solemnly. "I knew that if I said goodbye, you guys would just convince me to stay."

"Yeah," Donna laughed while wiping the remainder of her tears away. "Probably."

"Are you happy that you came back?"

The question hit Jackie like a ton of bricks. Was she happy? Was all of this trouble with her husband and son in Boston worth this? Jackie compared her life in Boston to the feeling she was feeling at that very moment. For years she lived dead inside, just scraping by the days with nothing to live for. She lived in a beautiful house with beautiful possessions, but her heart had turned to stone. She ran away to Boston to get rid of her sensitivity and emotions, and that was exactly what happened. Sitting on the couch next to her best friend with fresh tears on her face and a warm feeling in her chest was answer enough.

"Yes, I'm very happy."

_A few weeks after Jackie left, 1981_

_Donna, Eric, and Hyde sat in the basement, each one of them trying to watch the program on the television. Hyde wasn't even concentrating. Guilt and loneliness had began eating away at him as soon as he and Jackie were broken up for good, but these past few weeks with Jackie AWOL, he felt his depression eat away at him faster. Donna was livid inside, silently cursing her best friend for ditching her and not even telling her goodbye. Eric was just trying his best to ignore all the angry tension that had built up in the room._

"_I can't believe Jackie just left!" Donna said with a burst as she continued to steam on the couch. "She could have left a note, left a message with someone, anything!"_

"_Donna!" Hyde barked, holding his hand out to silence the girl. "Just shut up, will you?"_

_Donna sneered in his direction. "Don't tell me to shut up Hyde! She left you just like she left me."_

_Hyde turned his body to face the blonde, as he prepared himself to lash out at the girl. "Yeah, well I've actually accepted my fault in it, so why don't you just shut the fuck upt and think about why it's your fault, too."_

_Donna was shocked and outraged, "My fault?" She held a stiff hand pointing at her chest. "How is Jackie leaving MY fault?"_

"_Well let's think." Hyde began counting on his fingers. "You never even consoled her whenever I married Sam. You just became buddy buddy with her, showing no loyalty whatsoever. You never even stopped to think the kind of shit Jackie has been going through these past two years. You were just too wrapped up in your Eric mop fest like you always are. Plus, don't play this innocent crap anyways, because you did the same thing when you left with Kelso, Jackie's BOYFRIEND at the time, whenever you went to California!"_

_Donna stood up and Hyde met her. Eric sat nervously as he watched his girlfriend and best friend get in the biggest argument of their entire friendship. _

"_Don't pin all of this shit on me likes it's entirely my fault Hyde. You married a stripper when Jackie said she wanted to get married."_

_Eric prepared himself for it. The look in Hyde's eyes gave all the signs that he was going to explode right there. But when the loud voice never came, and a simple low nod of his head replaced the anger, Eric watched closely to catch the very next thing his friend said._

"_I know, okay." His voice was silent and Eric could never remember a time that he heard so much remorse in the bad boy, stoner's voice. "I know that, and everyday I hate that I did that too her. For some reason I thought I was doing that right thing." His voice trailed off and Eric took notice of Donna's down turned face as she too was being deeply affected by the sudden change in emotion in Hyde. "Now I have to live with that guilt forever. I know that I drove her away, but you just have to stop and think about how you weren't there for her either."_

_Hyde walked back to his bedroom as he left Donna standing in the middle of the basement with Eric cautiously staring up at her. A wave of emotions hit Donna all at once. _

"_Donna, are you okay?" Eric asked as he grabbed for her limp hand that hung at her side._

_Donna slowly sat down next to Eric not looking at him as she continued to think about Hyde's words. "I really was a bad friend Eric." She murmured._

_Eric wrapped his arms around Donna's shoulder and placed her head on his shoulder with her face pressing against his neck. Donna promised herself at that very moment that if she ever saw Jackie again, she'd apologize to her with the drop of a hat. She just hoped it would be soon before the guilt ate her alive._

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**AN2: **You guys know what to do. I just can't get enough of your reviews. Next chapter is Zach and Hyde's confrontation about what happened between JH so get ready! 


	10. Ch 9: To the Sons of Man

**AN: **Alright guys, here is the chapter you have been waiting for. I'm not going to bore you with my usual I love you guys and your awesome reviews stuff (though the statement still stands : ) hehe), so you guys just read and review!

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Chapter 9: To the Sons of Man

The night was calm and still. The eerie quiet that surrounded Zach as he walked home chilled him to the core. After his conversation with Donna, he felt hollow and angry. The hollow feeling came from all the new mysteries popping up that he was still completely oblivious to, and he was angry because he was tired of all of this shit. He just wanted a little bit of clarity.

Zach walked into his dark house, the front door squeaking as he closed it, reminding him of the nagging responsibility squeezing at his heart. He made his way up the staircase of his home, heading towards the light that was coming out of his dad's office. A big part of him wanted to just forget about everything and run away to his room. Confrontation was so hard to deal with. It would be easier to just forget any of this ever happened and pretend to not care so much. However, Zach knew that he couldn't live that way. All the apathy in the world couldn't stop him from exploding now. Finding out his mother was a whore and doesn't give a damn about him, realizing his dad never talks to him, and nobody wanting to tell him anything whenever he simply asks was beginning to piss him off. In fact, he was far blown.

He found his dad crouched over his desk filling out some paper work, most likely for the stores. Zach watched as his dad read and scribbled on the blinding white sheets. He swallowed his nerves and cleared his passages while getting his dad's attention.

Hyde turned and looked at his son. His eyebrows were knitted together in the same way they always were when he wanted to talk about something important. Hyde set down his pen and gave the teenager his full attention.

"I-," Zach's voice was soft. He wanted to have confidence, but he had never had experience in something like this before. Besides, his dad could be quite intimidating sometimes. "I want to ask you something."

"Alright." Hyde said, very interested in Zach's new attitude for today. Yesterday, he was refusing to speak and blew up on him when he did. Tonight, he stood before him with shadows across his eyes and was finally opening up. "What is it that you want to ask me?"

Zach thought for a second exactly how he wanted his question to be worded. _Should I just ask right away about Jackie and see if he admits, or tell him what I already know?_ Wanting to have the most ammo going in, Zach decided to take his dad off guard. "Aunt Donna says you loved that Jackie woman."

Hyde's skin rippled as slight panic took over his body. He wasn't expecting this kind of response at all. All of his old habits of wanting to clam up washed over him. Deny, deny, deny. It's what he lived his life by. The confused look on Zach's face begging for answers shifted his instincts though. Hyde finally took notice that he was stalling.

"Um, well, when did she say this?" Hyde asked as he tried looking back up at his son again.

Zach could tell his dad was trying to veer away from the subject. He had rarely ever seen his dad in a vulnerable position, and this moment truly shocked him. He was the one getting under his dad's skin. This knowledge made him feel powerful yet also terrified. His dad had always been his rock. His recent attitude about him had chipped away at that foundation, but the worried look in his dad's blue eyes made him completely rethink his assumptions.

"At dinner yesterday." Hyde just nodded and didn't say anything else. Zach knew he would have to push harder.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Is it true?"

Hyde had no idea why Zach wanted to know any of this. He didn't have a clue that this could somehow be linked to Zach's problems with his mother or with him. He did however have to swallow ever bit of his pride left. He and his son had been buddies ever since he was little, and only recently did that started to change. Hyde hated that he was slowly losing Zach. Even though he wasn't sure of what this kind of conversation would lead to, Hyde figured that it wouldn't hurt much just to tell.

"Yeah, I did." His voice was low, and he wouldn't look Zach directly in the eyes.

"Well, what made you guys break up?" Zach asked, pushing a little further.

Hyde laughed a little. "That's a really long story Zach."

"Well I want to know." Zach's voice grew a little more forceful, on the brink of demanding. Hyde peered up at his son and saw that he meant what he said.

"Why do you want to know, Zach?"

Zach shook his head in disappointment. "Why can't you just tell me? I asked Aunt Donna, and she told me that only you could tell me."

Hyde nodded his head as if considering it. "Huh. She said that?"

"Yeah." Zach felt his impatience start to play tricks with his Zen. "I don't see why everyone has to be so damn secretive about everything."

Bells went off in Hyde's head. There was the magic word once again. Was this his failure as a parent? He just didn't tell Zach enough things about himself?

"You really want to know?" Hyde asked, as he put down his walls and leaned back in his office chair.

"Yes."

"Well," Hyde blew out a huge breath of air, wondering where to begin. "Um, I guess I should just tell you that we dated for like two years, and a little while after she graduated high school she began pushing me to tell her that I wanted to get married." Hyde paused to look at Zach who stood listening intently to his story.

Hyde crossed his arms defensively across his chest. "I told her that I didn't know if I wanted to or not, and eventually that just became too much for her. She broke up with me and we stayed apart for a while."

Hyde took another pause in his story. Slowly he began connecting the puzzle pieces together. The next part of this story would make him look like a total ass, and worst than that, Sam was about to come into the picture.

"Okay, well, then what happened." Zach's voice became a little more hopeful as he egged his dad on to continue.

Hyde shook his head and let out a nervous breath. "Um, let's just say, I totally screwed things up after that."

Zach's hopeful feeling dropped to the floor. "No dad. What happened after that?"

Hyde starred up in Zach's blue eyes. He had no idea how his son was going to react to the information he was about to reveal to him. He just hoped he didn't push himself farther away.

"Well, uh, she got this job offer in Chicago for some kind of tv position, and she told me that she wouldn't go if I told her that I could see a future with us in it."

"And what did you say?"

"Um, I didn't really get to say anything."

Zach crinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Hyde shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Well she gave me a while to think about it, and when the time came that she gave me to tell her, Grandma Kitty gave me this note that she wrote saying she just left without hearing the answer because she knew what it would be."

"Well did she?"

Hyde's heart twisted in his chest. Remembering the pain of that day still felt fresh. "No. I was going to tell her yes."

Silence fell on father and son. Hyde already felt exhausted for telling Zach this much already, and Zach still was confused.

"I don't see how you're the bad guy."

Hyde gave a cynical chuckle. "Well, you haven't let me finish."

Zach rested his body against the wall preparing himself for the rest of the story.

"Well it turns out that she didn't really leave, she was actually at her house for a couple of days hiding out."

Zach shook his head. "This is getting really confusing and messed up."

"I'm not even to the half of it yet."

Zach rolled his eyes and let his dad continue.

"So, I found her in the basement one day and she once again asked me for my answer, but I was so angry that she lied to me that I told her to 'have a nice trip'."

"Ouch." Zach said.

"Yeah," Hyde began squeezing his right fist with his left hand as he approached the part of the story wear unforgivable blows where given by both parties.

"So she went to Chicago, and after a few days I gave in and went after her. I was sort of going to purpose." Hyde's stomach tied in a knot at he remembered in exact detail what happened next. "Well, when I got there I found her in her hotel room with your Uncle Kelso in a towel."

Zach's eyes bugged out of his head. "Uncle Kelso?"

"Yeah, well, they dated a long time before we ever got together."

Zach cringed at the thought. In his mind he already decided that Jackie must be crazy.

"Well uh," Zach noticed a considerable difference in his father's voice. The whole time he mostly was just telling the story in a very clear, dry pattern, trying his best not to show too much emotion. However, now Zach could hear the remorse dripping from his father's words. "I didn't give her time to explain. I just left and headed for Vegas."

The word 'Vegas' strung a painful nerve in Zach's spine. A black curtain slowly began dropping on him. It was as if his body was anticipating the next words, but his mind just hadn't caught up yet.

"I stayed there for a while. I came home and Jackie told me nothing happened. Kelso was just hitting on her like always, and nothing happened at all. Before we could really talk past that, uh…." Hyde's voice trailed off as his eyes darted back and forth trying to decide on how to word the next phrase. Zach's heart impulsively began to beat rapidly, yet he was still clueless as too why. "Well, Sam, your mom, sort of walked through the door then."

The blood drained from Zach's head. His face turned cold with shock as his brain just stuttered inside his head. "What?"

"Apparently, I married her during one drunken night in Vegas."

Zach's ears were filled with the sound of his heart thumping. "I don't understand."

"I married her, and well, I knew things could never be fixed between me and Jackie so I stayed with her." Zach zoned in on the regret that his dad's words choked on.

"Do you regret it?" Zach's heart no longer raced. It sat still in his chest, hoping his dad would just say the right words.

"Yes." His dad whispered, completely ashamed with himself. Tight cords constricted Zach's chest and the pain of his father's words slapped him across the face. Hyde looked up and saw the intensity plastered in his son's eyes and immediately stood up and walked over to him. He realized the interpretation of his words that his son took. He gripped his shoulders hard and spoke with hurried words.

"Listen to me Zach. I don't regret you for a second. I regret that I hurt the only girl that I ever loved because I thought I couldn't make her happy with just being me. I regret hiding myself, and not telling her more that I loved her." Hyde's own words, emotions, and openness began to scare him but he just kept on. The sake of his son was more important. "But I wouldn't take it back, just because of you."

Zach's bitter pain clogged his ears, though he heard every word of his father's speech. All of the news just became too suffocating for him. He had to get out. He had to go someplace to think. He had to be anywhere but here.

"I- I gotta go." Zach pulled himself away from his father's grasp and ran out of the house as fast as his feet could take him.

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**AN2: **Go ahead. I know you want to press the pretty purple button. It's a calling : ). 


	11. Ch 10: After the Flood

**AN: **Here is a happy chapter for you guys. There is a lot of Zach and Kat in this, but also some JH. From now one I'm going to be working on a lot more Jackie and Hyde stuff, along with Zach/Hyde/Jackie stuff. My updates have finally caught up with my writing, and the next update will take a few more days to get up since I haven't even started writing it. It's the last 2 weeks of school for me and my teachers have decided to dump a truck load of stuff on us. Poo to that! I just want to write.

I hope you guys like this. Reviews are wonderful as always.

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Chapter 10: After the Flood 

Kat heard a light rapping at her bedroom window over her loud music playing at barely a whisper in the background. Clad in black pajama pants and a pink tank top, she grabbed a baseball bat she hid under her bed to investigate the intruder. She creeped her way over to the window with adrenaline pumping to be prepared to smash some peeping tom face in. Slowly, Kat pulled back her purple curtain while rearing back the baseball bat. When she saw a man's body hunched over on the neighboring tree, she let out a screech and dropped the curtain.

"Kat, it's Zach." She heard the man say through her window. Kat furrowed her eyebrows in both confusion and embarrassment as she comprehended exactly what the voice said.

"What do you want?" She hissed through the glass.

"Just let me in. I need to talk to you."

Kat rolled her eyes and opened the window for Zach. She marched over to her bed and stood by as she watched him scramble through the window. She crossed her arms and angrily stared at him as he brushed himself off once inside her room.

Zach looked at Kat and couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked when she was angry and in pajamas. It was probably his favorite look for her so far.

"What do you want?" She asked, still standing defensively away from him.

"I came to apologize." Zach answered pathetically as he shoved his hands in his pockets and gazed down at the floor.

"Pft, took you long enough." Kat scoffed. An awkward silence fell on the two as both of the youths tried to think of anything to say to each other. Zach finally spoke up.

"You were right."

The admission shocked her. "Right about what?"

"About why I punched that guy." Zach took a deep breath as he coaxed himself to just make his confession. "It had everything to do with how I feel about you."

Kat put her arms down and held firmly onto her left arm with her right hand. She slightly bit her lip as bubbling feelings sprang up inside of her.

Zach saw the look on her face and felt a little more confident with his words. "Look Kat… I really, really like you. I'm sorry for being a jerk to you, but I just don't know how to be the right guy for you. And you deserve the best."

Kat stared back at Zach, still nervously biting her lip. She let out a defeated sigh and gave Zach disappointing eyes. "Zach… I don't care if you know how to or not. I think you just being you is the right guy."

Zach shifted his feet, unsure of what to say next. This was about as far as he had planned. He wasn't really expecting her to tell him that he was the right guy for her. All he knew was that he was an ass, but this was very important to him, so he just had to do it.

"So what made you admit to this?" Kat asked with a weary voice, but her eyes showed she was more questioning than suspicious of him. She still had that sparkling hope in her pupils, twinkling in anticipation.

Zach pondered the question, and decided that he would save the full explanation for some other time. "Something just told me that if I didn't, I would regret it forever."

Kat couldn't tear her eyes away from him as she walked over to his standing body. It was just like a dream, and Kat didn't want to miss a second of it. Once reaching him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, only closing her eyes as she kissed his lips.

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Jackie stared up at the full moon through the clear Wisconsin night sky. Serenity relaxed her nerves and all the worries that plagued her thoughts temporarily took the back seat of her mind. She had spent the entire day worrying about her soon to be divorce and disconnect with Bobby. But, as everyone knows, when worrying about one thing, it opens the door for other problems. Now that she had left her husband, she was out of a basic income, and she had little to no education or job experience. She had no idea what she was going to do for money. She couldn't live with Donna and Eric for the rest of her life. 

But all of that was today, and at this very moment she didn't' care at all. Jackie loved looking up at the stars that sat suspended in complete and utter blackness. She figured whoever said, "The sky's the limit," must have been talking about the night sky. The twinkling, never-ending starts always represented a universe of millions of possibilities and freedoms for and really grasping this concept universe excited and frightened her. Out there, there were no limits and nothing to hold you close to home. Jackie always desired to get lost in that feeling of freedom, but she was always too scared to break free from security. When she was with her first boyfriend, Micheal Kelso, she had a predestined plan all mapped out with no forks or complicated road signs. Sure, they did a few U turns, but it all followed Jackie's path until it completely spun out of control. Her relationship with Dennis was the same, except he actually wanted to get married and was able to provide for her. However, whenever she was with Steven, things were completely different. They started out on no terms without any direction and Jackie was never sure what to call them. As things progressed, their relationship easily fell into a loving boyfriend/girlfriend scenario, but Jackie still had no clue as to what lie ahead for them in the future. Steven Hyde was Jackie's night sky. He excited and terrified her. Jackie always felt free with no boundaries whenever she was with him. Not only could she be anything she wanted to be, but they could be anything too. But old habits die hard, and the free floating began to scare Jackie more than anything. She didn't like not knowing what would become of them, so, she did the only thing she could do: try to find a safety line.

On night's like these, Jackie wondered what would have happened if she just stayed along for the ride a little longer with Steven Hyde. In her eyes, he was capable of all things if he just had the right motivation and desire. She wondered if things really were predestined after all, and her failure with Steven was in the big plan of her life. But, she just couldn't accept the easy way out. Cause and effect were the only factors that tore them apart.

Jackie looked towards the end of the Foreman driveway and saw the very man in question making his way over to her. She wondered what brought him here this late at night.

"Hey," he said as he reached the tiny porch.

"Hey," Jackie replied.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked, situating himself against the railing.

"Just thinking." She answered with a smile.

"So, I take it Donna and Eric have probably gone to bed by now."

"Yeah. You didn't call to check before you came over?"

Hyde shook his head. "No, I was just sort of driving and just thought about coming over here." What he failed to mention was really he was looking for Zach, and needed to talk to either Eric or Donna about the situation.

"Oh."

An awkward silence fell on the two as they desperately searched for something else to say. One would think that after twenty years of catching up to do, people would have more to talk about then the mundane things they discussed earlier. Hyde wanted to tell her so much, but he just couldn't find the words. After having that conversation with Zach, he felt the surprising need to tell someone everything, especially Jackie. There were so many things she needed to know. He told Zach earlier that he didn't regret having him, and it was the truth. However, Hyde did regret the life he had outside of Zach. The emptiness he felt inside was a constant reminder of the days when he didn't feel empty at all.

"So what were you thinking about?" Lame… he knew it, but it was the only thing that came to mind.

Jackie smiled slightly at him, knowing perfectly well exactly what he was doing. "I was just thinking about what I'm going to do about money now that I left my husband."

Hyde shrugged his shoulders. "Get a job?"

Jackie sarcastically scoffed. "Yeah, with what experience or education? I haven't had a job in years, and I never went to college."

Hyde softly grinned at her in the same way he always did when he thought she was being cute. "Don't worry about it Jackie. You can do anything you want to."

Jackie's heart inflated in her chest, and she couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Well, I guess I will just have to figure out whatever it is I want to do."

Hyde nodded his head. "I'm sure it'll come to you soon."

Silence fell on the two again. They both felt so young inside, and they slowly began to realize that they were alone together. Jackie giggled in her mind as she remembered what they used to do whenever a situation like this occurred, but she was certainly not going to make out with him on the railing of Donna's front porch no matter how elated she felt when thinking about it. Their new comfortable situation with each other urged Jackie to get some answers from Hyde in the only way she knew how.

"You know, I thought you were going to be really mad at me when I came back… you know… for not saying goodbye."

Jackie watched as Hyde looked down to the ground with a sad and almost guilty expression on his face. But Hyde was always going to be Hyde, so Jackie wasn't quite sure if that was exactly what she was seeing. His arms were already crossed, but she noticed that he tensed his muscles more around his body. He answered towards the ground, "Yeah, well, I'm not. You left for a good reason."

Jackie squeezed her tiny fists together and closed her eyes. "I hope that I'm coming back for an even better reason."

The two locked eyes and told each other many things, each of them completely understanding what the other was trying to say, but of course, not sure if they should listen to their heart.

"I'm really glad you're back, Jackie." He finally said to her, clarifying her assumptions.

Jackie gave him a teary smile, silently confirming to him that she was glad to be back too.

"Well I should get home now." He said as began to walk away. "I'll see you around."

"Bye." Jackie called to him. He gave her one more smile and walked back down the driveway to his car.

* * *

Zach was reclining on his back on top of Kat's bed as she had an arm wrapped around his abdomen with her head resting on his shoulder. A lot had happened in the past few hours. They had frenched like French people at a frenching festival, and discussed their new relationship. It was still a little weird for Zach to think of himself as in a relationship, but if it made him feel just like this, then he figured he could get used to it fast. Zach told Kat all the reasons he had been so cold to her over the past few weeks, and after calling him a jerk a few times and swatting at him, she whispered in his ear all the reasons why she was completely infatuated with him. She wiped his insecurities away with her beautiful smile, goofy teasing, and of course her kisses. Zach really liked the way she kissed. 

Now they had mellowed down and had been talking about anything and everything. Zach would declare that this moment was one of the best of his life if it wasn't for the horrible feeling that still hung over him after his conversation with his dad. He really didn't want that to ruin his good time.

As if reading his mind, Kat reminded him, "You still haven't told me what happened when you went to see your mom."

Zach rubbed his hand across her arm that was holding onto him. "I found out that she is a total whore that couldn't really give a rat's ass about me."

Kat frowned in his tee shirt. "Well that sucks."

"Yeah," He agreed. "Things are so fucked up right now."

"What do you mean?"

Zach gave a huge sigh, preparing himself to tell her the story. "Well this woman, who used to be really good friends with Josh's mom, came back to town, and when we went to dinner last night, my dad was acting so weird around her. Like, they just kept laughing and sharing these little smiles with each other. It was just weird, because my dad is never like that with women. Well, I asked Josh's mom what was up, and she said that this woman was the love of my dad's life." Kat hugged Zach close as she listened intently. "So I tried to get her to tell me what the hell that was supposed to mean, because I have never heard of this woman in my life. She just told me to ask my dad. So, I ask my dad, and surprisingly he actually opens up to me. I have no idea why either, because he has never done that before. Well, he tells me all of this crazy ass shit that happened between them that I don't even want to get into, but basically the last thing that finally made the two of them break up was he drunkenly married my mom and didn't even remember."

"Wow… that is messed up." Kat replied, not quite sure what to say about the story.

Zach was still underneath her. It felt so good to just tell someone everything. He was still confused as hell, but at least for right now he didn't feel so bad.

"So how do you feel about all of that?" Kat asked him while raising her body up to look at his face.

Zach looked up at her and searched inside his soul for the answer. "I don't know." He looked away at a poster on the other side of the room. "I guess I feel like I was some kind of mistake or something. I mean, I always sort of felt like that, what with my mom leaving a long time ago, but now it's just more real."

Kat leaned down and kissed him softly on his smooth cheek. She lied down on the pillow next to his head. "Well it isn't like they got married because your mom was pregnant with you. They were just drunk. They must have stayed together for a reason."

"I don't know." Zach replied. "He really seemed torn up about marrying my mom and hurting this woman."

Kat gazed at Zach's face and wanted to heal all of his wounds. "Well, it shouldn't matter if your mother was the reason your dad lost the love of his life. He still didn't do anything to reverse what happened. That has nothing to do with you."

Zach smiled down at Kat knowing perfectly well exactly what she was trying to do. It made him feel a little better, but he still felt that emptiness in his chest.

Kat grinned back at her boyfriend. "I mean, seriously. Just because your mother is a loser and your father is lonely, doesn't mean anything when it comes to you. Our parents don't dictate who we are, or what we become."

Zach cupped Kat's face in his hands and planted a sweet peck on her lips. She might have been right, but it was his father's haunting words that drove him to come to Kat in the first place that pricked at his spine, _"I regret that I hurt the only girl that I ever loved because I thought I couldn't make her happy with just being me." _

They relaxed comfortably in their embrace again and just enjoyed the company from one another. Through the silence, Zach heard a woman's deep, scratchy voice chanting around the room and then an ever familiar growl and scream follow immediately after.

"What are you listening to?"

Kat shifted her head to look at him and gave him a toothy smile. "Otep. It's new. They have a female vocalist."

Zach listened closer. "Doesn't really sound like a chick."

"I know!" Kat exclaimed with a giggle. "Isn't it awesome? This girl I talk to online told me about them today. I told her about what a dick you were being to me, and she told me to listen to this song called "Menocide" by them." The corners of her mouth seemed to reach her ears as beautiful dimples popped up on her cheeks. "It made me feel a lot better."

Zach laughed and her morbid cuteness. "Yeah, well sorry about that."

"It's okay. Just as long as you don't get all broody on me again, I'll be fine."

"I am not broody!" He retorted, daring her with his eyes to say it again.

"Pssht" Kat scoffed. "Okay Zach. Keep telling yourself that." She rubbed her hand on top of his head, stroking his short stubble. She coyly smirked at him. "You know I think I could get used to this. I think it's kind of sexy. Very masculine and you remind me of Phil Anselmo." Zach rolled his eyes at the name drop, even though he was secretly flattered. Kat moved her slender fingers to his chin and cupped it in her finger tips. "Even though your curls were so cute."

"Shut up." He said, rolling his eyes again while sitting up to get away from her. Kat just cackled at his embarrassment and began tracing outlines on the back of his shirt. She looked over at the clock and sighed. "I think you should leave."

"Why?"

"Well, I have had to put up with a lot of crap from you to get us here, and I really don't want my dad to kill you because he wakes up…" An alarm clock in the next room sounded. "…now."

Zach scrabbled to put his shoes back on. Kat giggled at him as he frantically began to tie them. When he was done he dashed to the window, and then stopped to turn around. He cupped Kat's face again and planted another kiss on her plush lips. "Bye." He said and ran to the window again, climbing out like Spiderman as Kat just beamed at his exit.

* * *

**AN2: **Reviews make my stiff neck feel better. My doctor says so. Okay, maybe that's untrue, but for the few moments I'm reading them, I'll completely forget about it, and that's good enough :). 


	12. Ch 11: Vision and the Verity

**AN: **Sorry the update took awhile. My other updates will probably either a) take as long because I don't have any waiting for you guys anymore, or b) will come sooner because school is almost over.

So this chapter is definitely all JH and the gang. There is also a long smut scene in here so this chapter is rated **M.** So if you don't like smut, just skip over the flashback. But seriously, who doesn't like smut :P? Btw, if there is any confusion because of the date, the flashback takes place during the summer in between S4 and S5. The show was always screwy with their dates anyways.

Special thanks for Luvcali for reading my smut scene before hand. Your advice and guidance is always appreciated.

Thanks for all the wonderfully supportive reviews. They make me so happy, and hopefully since alerts are up again, I'll be getting more! Oh, happy days!

* * *

Chapter 11: Vision and the Verity 

"JACKIE!" Loud banging against her door and the whiniest male voice she has ever heard woke her up from her pleasant slumber. "JACKIE!"

Jackie sat up and rubbed her eyes. Even though it had been twenty years, she could recognize Micheal Kelso's voice even if it had been a hundred years.

"Jackie, my goddess! You must come out and hug Fez!" Fez's accent was still heavy and effeminate. The two funniest people she had ever known were just on the other side of her door, demanding for her to wake up and see them. What they failed to realize was Jackie Burkhardt almost never let anyone see her as soon as she woke up. She needed at least a half hour to pick out clothes and do her makeup. She crawled out of bed and began searching through the dresser drawers.

"JACKIE! You can't hide from us forever!"

"I'm getting dressed!" She yelled back, struggling to put her legs in her black pants.

"Oh, Jackie," Fez's voice soothed through the door. "You know we don't mind seeing you naked."

Jackie rolled her eyes and Kelso yelled, "Yeah!", while it sounded like he and Fez high-fived each other.

"I'll be out in a minute you goof balls!" she yelled back, but she couldn't hide the laughter in her voice. She really missed them a lot. They never failed to make her laugh her heart right out of her chest and forget about everything.

Once Jackie made her way to the kitchen, she found Eric, Donna, Kelso, and Fez sitting at the table all having coffee with each other. The sight took her aback. Reality slapped Jackie right in the face. Everyone seemed so grown up.

Before Jackie knew it, she was being smothered by Fez and Kelso's loving embraces. She could barely breathe because they were squeezing her so hard.

"Guys." She choked out. "You're really hurting me."

They instantly let her go and Jackie felt her feet hit the ground. She didn't even notice that she had been lifted up.

"I'm sorry Jackie. We just missed you so much." Fez said as he gazed at her with the happiest brown eyes.

"I missed you guys too." She cooed. She gave both of them hugs, and this time she was squeezing with all of her strength.

Once she pulled away, Fez straightened up signaling he had something very important to say. "Now Jackie. I am still very mad that you did not even tell Fez goodbye, but I will forgive you…" He shared a sneaky glance with Kelso. "…if you let me touch your boob."

Jackie bugged her eyes out, but it was more just for show. It still amazed her that she wasn't the least bit surprised by this invitation.

"No Fez."

Fez glared his eyes at Kelso. "See, Kelso! I told you it wouldn't work."

"Hey." Kelso shrugged his lanky shoulders. "It was worth a shot."

Fez smiled widely. "Yes, this is true." He turned his smile to Jackie. "I forgive you anyways Jackie. I'm just glad you're back."

Kelso and Fez took their seats at the kitchen table again while Jackie joined them in the remaining chair.

"So what's the plan for today?" Jackie asked, noticing the happy looks on everyone's faces.

"Well," Eric began. "We decided that for old time's sake, we would all go up to the water tower, drink beer, and cause mayhem."

"Not too much though." Kelso interrupted. "Brooke told me that she was not coming to get me if I ended up in the hospital from falling off the water tower. And you guys know me. That's just about impossible if we're doing something crazy!"

Jackie studied Micheal's smiling face. He was just as happy as always. That was one of the things she loved most about this man. He never failed to light up a room with his smile, whether he was being stupid or not (and most of the time he was). It seemed like his life must have been wonderful the past two decades. An empty pit formed in Jackie's stomach. She tried to ignore it by joining in on the conversation.

"God, I haven't even seen the water tower since I've been back. Does it still look the same?"

"Not sure." Eric answered. "We sort of haven't been there in a long time. Donna and I went once after our wedding, but we all haven't been there at once."

"Yeah, so it's sort of a special thing since you are back. It's like a present for all of us." Kelso grinned down at her with his words. Jackie smiled up and him and looked at everyone's face at the table. How could she leave the people who loved her most in the world? Deep down, she knew that it wasn't always this way, but at this very moment, it was hard to remember a time when it wasn't.

* * *

It was night, and all six of the friends made their way up the ladder of the water tower. It was still old and rusty with trees surrounding it from all sides, but it looked very different from all those years ago. New graffiti littered its sides, and what were left of the gang's own vandalism were traces of what used to be. Only hints of the pot leaf that was flipping the entire town off were visible. 

"Wow." Eric stated for everyone. "Is it just me, or does it feel like we've been replaced?"

Everyone disappointedly nodded their heads. It certainly did feel like they were replaced. A new generation of bored delinquents had been bred and raised into this town, and they left their marks just as these six had done so many years before. In reality, it was only fair, but each of them felt a little piece of themselves die inside. The symbolism in it all did not pass over their heads.

"Well, we can't let this get us down." Donna stated as she began laying out the blankets they brought to sit on. "We came here to have fun and remember."

Everyone sat down, and Jackie found herself sitting next to Hyde once again. She felt a little nervous since the other night, but she kept her cool like a pro.

"You know," Kelso began as he stared into the distance looking at Point Place. "Sometimes I talk to Brooke about moving back here. She doesn't want to because of the kids and our jobs, but I still talk about it from time to time."

"When I was in Africa, all I thought about was coming back." Eric looked at Donna and shared a soft smile with her. "It was almost ironic. I wanted so badly to get out of here, but once I left, I wanted nothing more than to come back."

Jackie held her tongue. She knew exactly what they were talking about. She, too, thought about Point Place on countless occasions. It was nothing compared to the big city when it came to stores, nice restaurants, and interesting people, but there was no other place on Earth that felt more like home.

Jackie stared at all her friends as they laughed about the old times and how happy everything was. From time to time, they would talk about what had been going on in the past twenty years, still with wide smiles on their faces. They all had lived perfectly happy lives. Each one of them achieved exactly what they wanted from life. Donna was a successful writer and had a beautiful family. Eric was a teacher and married his first love. Micheal had children that always kept him young at heart, and he had a wife who kept him on a short leash just to the point that he liked. Fez worked with his one passion in life, hair, and he finally got the girl and held onto her for once in his life. They were all just so happy.

The only person that didn't share the smiles with them was Steven. True, he hardly ever smiled unless Micheal was getting hurt, but Jackie was sure that this wasn't just his Zen hiding things. He didn't live the same way any of their friends did. He was lonely just like her. While Jackie lived secluded in luxury, Hyde was lonely in his friend's bliss. Jackie didn't want to talk about how miserable her life had been these past few years, because she didn't want to be a burden to anyone. However, she wanted to tell Steven everything that had happened to her. He always understood her and shared her struggles. It seemed to Jackie that that aspect about them hadn't changed much.

As everyone talked and Jackie just listened, she couldn't help but feel she had a lot of catching up to do. To drop everything you have worked on for twenty years is a hard thing to do. She felt like she was starting completely over. There was no path to follow that she could see. She knew all of these laughing people would stand by her no matter what, but that didn't help Jackie one bit. As independent as Jackie wished she was, she needed someone to point her in the right direction.

Jackie felt the air between her and Hyde shortened as he leaned towards her. "Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear. Jackie's entire body chilled with warm goosebumps.

"Yeah." She answered as she tucked her hair behind her ears, trying her best to keep composure.

"You just aren't talking much." He clarified. Jackie knew her silence must have been suspicious.

"Neither are you."

She watched as Hyde grinned as if to say he knew that she was trying to turn the attention away from her. "Yeah, but if you haven't noticed, I never talk. You, on the other hand, usually can't stop talking."

Jackie pressed her lips together and decided that to lie would make no progress. "I just have nothing to say."

He nodded his head, telling her that he understood her. Jackie felt her face fall, but she was soon saved by his fingers interlacing into hers. Their hands were hidden from the others, so they made no effort to let go any time soon. His warm palm and strong fingers slowly eased her pain away. She knew it was wrong to feel this dependent on his touch, but Jackie just didn't care at the moment. Romantic feelings put aside, she knew deep down that Hyde had always cared about her in one way or another. Even when he tried his hardest to make he believe otherwise, such as when he was married to that whore, he always seemed to slip and prove to her that she still had his heart. Whether it was apologetic looks that he didn't mean for her to see, or the occasional kind words at times that she showed her weakness to him, Steven Hyde had always found a way that told Jackie he would always be there for her.

_Summer 1977_

_Jackie waited patiently on her bed with only a small lamp in the corner of her room illuminating the darkness. It had been an hour later than when he said he would arrive. Her nerves made a billowing ball inside of her. From her opened window she could hear the sounds of Hyde climbing up the side of her house. The thin cotton of her nightgown that hung on her naked shoulders and pert breasts provocatively reminded her of her lack of clothing. She wasn't sure what her purpose was for wearing the thin, almost see through nightgown. All she was sure of was the arousal spiraling inside of her._

_She watched as the scruffy man crawled through her window, landing on her floor not so gracefully while swearing at the fall. Jackie crawled on her knees over the edge of the bed as he stood up and took in her form. She watched as he slowly took off his glasses to get a better look at her. Normally, Jackie would feel embarrassed by his hungry stare, but right now she just wanted him. He stalked over to her, and Jackie stood up on her knees to meet him. Once he reached her, he gave her body another look over while Jackie breathed in his light smell of deodorant and pot. His hands tangled their way into her hair, holding the back of her head steady as he took her open mouth into his. _

_Tension built in Jackie's head as Hyde kissed her lips forcefully. She darted her tongue into his mouth and gripped onto his strong arms. She pushed her body into his as their kisses grew hurried and frantic, and she wrapped her arms around his middle just wanting to get closer. Jackie felt one of Hyde's hands leave her head. As it headed southward, Jackie moved her arms around his neck giving him full exposure to her cotton covered breasts. He gasped away from her mouth as he massaged one of them in his hands, feeling her hardened nipples graze against his palm. "Fuck, Jackie." he muttered into her mouth. Jackie captured his lips and made sure he wasn't going to leave hers again._

_The tension inside of Jackie's skull that clouded her consciousness still didn't seem to release any air. Each contact of lips on lips, tongues against tongues, and the massaging pawing of Hyde's hand only temporarily relieved her nagging need for release. She wanted something more than this. Jackie released the hold of one of her arms and caressed his bearded face as they continued to make out. Tiny sensations surged through her body as he pinched a nipple in between his fingers. Jackie let out a moan of approval and rubbed his hard chest through his concert tee. She noticed something else that was hard that pressed up against the lower part of her stomach. His hungry lust for her made the tension press in between her eyes._

_Jackie snaked her hands to the bottom of his shirt and tugged the hem upwards. He released his squeezing grip from her body and allowed her to strip him. His skin was a creamy pale that begged to be touched to test it's smoothness against her finger tips. She ran her hands over his collar bones. She smoothed one hand over to the base of the back of his neck and danced fingers over his toned pectorals that had light dustings of hair on them. He took her lips into his once more, but this time his searing kisses changed into slow and seducing ones. Jackie felt her body being lowered onto the bed below and she accepted the mattress against her back graciously. _

_As their making out progressed, Jackie felt Hyde's warm finger tips move carefully against her thighs. After testing out the territory, Hyde hiked one of her legs around his waist and she became achingly aware of her night gown falling to her hips. His exploring hand rubbed the underneath side of her thigh and journeyed down to her ass, giving it a light squeeze as he pressed himself against her. Jackie moaned into his mouth as the tension only slightly released from her head._

_Hyde slightly raised his body to hover over Jackie as he smoothed her hiked leg out against the bed. He traced circles on her inner thigh, cautiously making his way to her panty line. Jackie was suddenly aware of just how far they were getting in their innocent escapade, but she just couldn't bring herself to stop him. The tension wanted him to continue, and she noticed that the tension was not only in her head but now in her swollen clit and tensing walls. She wanted him to touch her, but only just a little, just enough to satisfy her need._

_Sensing that the next movement was safe enough, Hyde caressed Jackie's flowering sex still covered by her bright red underwear. Jackie broke her kiss from his lips and buried her head in his neck. Fingers pressed pressure onto her clit and she moaned in delight while saying, "Oh Steven," as her voice hitched from the pleasure. Jackie was sure that she was growing wetter with each rub of Hyde's fingers, and she was positive that she could feel just how excited he was making her through her seeping panties. The sensational feelings he was giving her made her forget all about worries or cares. All she could really think about was just how damn good it all felt._

_Before she knew it, Jackie could feel her cotton bottom covering being pulled away from body. Jackie wasn't sure if it was the cool air coming in contact with her moist heat or the sense of exposure that came from losing her underwear, but Jackie's already tingling pussy screamed for some more attention. It didn't have to wait long though. Soon, Hyde's fingers return and continued their same ministrations. Jackie bit her lip and threw her head back on the pillow and just let herself be immensely pleasured by him. Jackie relaxed under his touch and decided that this was exactly what her body was looking for. _

_Jackie hummed her gratitude into the air as Hyde left wet kisses on the base of her neck. No longer was there tension in her head or her muscles. She moaned contently as Hyde kissed her again while still keeping up his antics down below. She couldn't help but think just how wonderful this moment was._

_But her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Hyde sliding a finger across her folds and inside of her. Pain and pleasure surged through Jackie's body as her muscles tightened around him. He began to slowly move his finger in a fluid motion, coaxing her body to relax again as it was before. Jackie tried her best, but couldn't get over the pleasing motion of his finger against her tight muscles. "God, you're so wet Jackie." He whispered into her ear, and Jackie whimpered at the words and the arrival of another finger inside of her. This new addition doubled the intensity.._

_His slow movements became too teasing. The tension arrived in Jackie's head again, this time demanding her to do something. She subconsciously listened to its demands and began moving her hips along with Hyde's movements. Hyde seemed to understand her language and moved his fingers faster in and out of her. Jackie kept up with his pace and moaned along with the growing pleasure. Between moans, she managed to choke out, "Faster," into the air. Instantly Hyde's fingers quickened and the palm of his hand began pounding against her swollen clit. Jackie felt the tension build not only in her head, but in the walls of her pussy. All the sensations occurring at once morphed into one big feeling, putting Jackie on edge. Jackie felt her body reaching its pinnacle and…_

_Loud knocks and the rattling of her doorknob disrupted the two lovers._

"_Jackie dear! It's your mother. Open this door." Pam's high pitched drunken voice could be heard from the other side._

"_Shit." Jackie hissed as she pushed Hyde off of her. "Get in the closest." She demanded while pushing him in. She closed the doors on him and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to look presentable. She then remembered she wasn't wearing any underwear._

"_Jackie? Are you awake in there?" Pam knocked louder at the door. _

"_Yeah, mom, hold on a second." Jackie called as she searched for her missing underwear. As soon as she found them she pulled them on as fast as she could and tucked Hyde's shirt under the bed. She walked over to the door and unlocked it revealing her smiling mother._

"_Jackie, honey, what took you so long to answer the door?" Pam asked while stumbling her way into the room._

"_I was just getting dressed for bed." Jackie answered back, trying to calm her rapid heart beat. "What is it that you want?"_

_Pam spun around with her typical cheerful smile. "I'm going to Acupalco!"_

"_Acupalco? Mom, you just got back from Puerto Rico?"_

"_I know Jackie honey, but your Dad is paying for another trip and well, who can refuse that?"_

_Jackie tried her best not to get angry or sad. She just did like she always did and hopelessly agreed._

"_You know Jackie, you are starting to put on a little weight. We can't have my beautiful daughter getting fat on me now."_

_Jackie swallowed the pain down her throat. "No, we can't." Pam began walking towards her bedroom door when she turned around as if reminded of something._

"_Oh, and honey, are you still using that conditioner I got for you? Your hair just doesn't look to its optimum shine today."_

"_Yes Mom, I'm still using it." _

_With that, Pam left the room leaving Jackie as she always did. Jackie plopped herself down on the bed trying her hardest to hold back her tears. Hyde slowly emerged from the closest still shirtless. Jackie quickly glanced at him and tore her eyes away._

"_Your mom's a real bitch, you know that?" Hyde said as he sat down next to Jackie on the bed._

"_Yeah." Jackie managed to get out. "I know."_

_Tears began to flow out of Jackie's eyes, and she hung her head low in attempt to hide them. She figured Hyde must have noticed because he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. Jackie rested her head on in the dip of his shoulder, enjoying the heat radiating off his skin. _

"_Is it okay if we just relax for a bit?"_

"_Yeah. That's fine." _

_Jackie removed her head from his shoulder and pulled his face into hers. The kiss he gave her told her many things, but more importantly it told her that he was going to be there for her, with the promise of sex or not. Even though they were just a meaningless fling, Jackie could tell that Steven Hyde was different and always would hold a special place in her heart._

* * *

**AN2: **Hopefully Kelso and Fez where in character enough, and I really, really hope you guys liked the smut scene. Tell me what you thought!_  
_


	13. Ch 12: American Love

**AN: **Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! You guys are amazing. So this is a bit of a filler chapter and I have to admit that it isn't one of my favorites. Hopefully you guys enjoy it though!

* * *

Chapter 12: American Love 

Jackie whipped the red and white checkered picnic table cloth into the air and slowly guided it back down onto the table. Red and Kitty Forman were coming into town for the 4th of July, and Eric, Donna, and Jackie were preparing for the big barbeque before Kitty arrived. Knowing her, everyone decided it would be best to get most of the decorating done so that Kitty wouldn't have to worry about it when she cooked. That woman still got caught up in planning a party.

It had been a week since the water tower get together, and Fez and Kelso came back to bring their families. Jackie plopped herself down on the bench and breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know what would be worst. Being here without her family or being here with her family. At least with her family she could pretend like they were happy, but then again, this way she didn't have to put on a mask at all. Her separation with her husband was final. The papers came in a few days before and Jackie signed. She was a bit relieved that Dennis decided to go ahead and give her a little alimony without putting up a fight. Donna was furious when Jackie told her that she just signed them without a lawyer. Jackie couldn't care about getting anything more from Dennis, and she really didn't want to go to court with him. She just wanted some clarity with herself.

Jackie found herself looking down the street for the fourth time within the past half hour. Hyde had called earlier and said he would be there shortly. Jackie hadn't seen him in a few days, and she found herself anticipating his arrival. She felt stupid and childish for getting excited about such a trivial thing, but her blossoming friendship with him since her return had been one of the few good things in her life at the moment.

One face she had seen quite a lot during the past few days was Zach's. She noticed that he seemed to look at her a bit differently than the first time that she met him, which she was met with only complete indifference instead of this new curiosity. Donna had informed her about his recent knowledge of her and Hyde's relationship, so she understood his new interest in her. According to Donna, Zach hadn't ever really seen his father with other women. Jackie had to admit, she was pretty curious in Zach herself. He seemed to be a lot like his father, and Jackie wanted to know everything about the boy. He was a little glimpse into her former lover's life that she had little knowledge of its occurrences.

Jackie looked down the street again and sighed.

* * *

Zach laced his tennis shoes one at a time, tying them tight against his feet. The only thing he was really looking forward to at the barbeque was when Kat would get there. She had to do some things with her family first and wouldn't be showing up until much later. 

"Are you ready to go?" His dad asked as he stood in his doorway.

"Yeah." Zach stood up from his bed and began walking towards his father. He noticed his dad wasn't moving and figured he wanted to talk to him.

"What is it?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Look, I know you said you were fine after last week, but… maybe we should talk about this."

Zach smirked. "Well, isn't this new? You are the one actually wanting to talk."

Hyde held up his hand in a warning. "Look Zach. Don't do this with me right now. I'm trying, okay?"

"Alright, alright." Zach surrendered and decided to cooperate.

"So…" Hyde raked his brain. "Did you have any… um… questions?"

Zach slightly rolled his eyes, but he did see an opportunity. "Yeah. When did I come into the picture?"

"Uh, well… we were together for a few months, and then I found out that we weren't really married. She was actually still married to this other guy. She left for a few years, came back, and … we sort of hooked up. That's when you came along."

Zach nodded his head. He lifted his eyebrows in faked indifference as he voiced his next question. "Was Jackie still around?"

"No, she had left for Boston a long time before that."

Zach kept nodding his head. He still didn't feel an ounce better about anything. "Alright. We're cool, just like we were before this." He walked up to his Dad and patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go."

As Zach walked away, Hyde thought that this little talk did nothing. He and Zach weren't "cool". They had barely talked at all, which was strange because they used to talk all the time. Hyde was just as lost as ever before. Zach wasn't responding too well with the honesty. He really had no idea where to turn.

* * *

"Where's Jackie? I need to see that girl and give her a piece of my mind about leaving the people who love her." Kitty Forman said after she let go of her embrace with her son. She leaned in and whispered, "Besides, I think Red really missed her. She was his favorite after all." 

Eric nodded his head and looked to his father who was placing his hat on the coat stand by the door. "Aw, did you miss Jackie, Dad?"

Red grunted. "No, I didn't miss her. I don't miss people, and I certainly don't say "Aw" either. You're a father! Be a man, damn it!" Red, satisfied with his means of avoiding the subject and criticizing Eric all at once, left the living room in search of a certain brunette.

Kitty placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "That's just his way of saying he agrees with you." Both Donna and Eric stared in disbelief at Kitty's beaming smile. "Now where are those grandchildren of mine?

As if her words had summoned them, Josh and Cindy walked through the swinging door from the kitchen. Kitty giggled and told the two kids how much she loved them as she hugged both of them at the same time. She let go of Josh and kept her arm around Cindy's shoulders. "Come on Cindy. I need a womanly touch to help me in the kitchen." As the two left, Donna shook her head, but she wore a light hearted smile on her face. Some things would just always stay the same.

"Grandpa Red told me to cut my hair again." Josh announced. "He didn't lecture me as long this time because he immediately started talking to Jackie. He seems to really like her."

"Yeah, Jackie is Red's favorite…for some strange reason." Donna said as she pondered the idea.

"It's probably because she burns Dad worse than anybody." Josh exclaimed catching his father's testing eye. "And we all know how much Grandpa Red loves picking at Dad."

Eric folded his arms and gave his son a stern look. It appeared like he was about to defy Josh's statement, but then he relaxed his shoulders and gave in. "Yeah, that's probably true. Now let's go back to watch Red tear you a new one for once."

* * *

Red and Eric began grilling hamburgers as Jackie, Donna, Brooke, and Liz sat at the picnic table folding napkins in this new way that Kitty taught them. She told them that just because it was a barbeque; it didn't mean they couldn't be more creative. Ever since her retirement, Kitty was learning all sorts of new crafts, and napkin folding had become one of her favorites. 

"Does this look like a swan to you?" Donna asked as she presented the indeterminate shape.

"No." Liz said, boredom pouring heavily from her voice. She wasn't even trying to make a swan. "This is stupid."

"I think it's kind of fun." Brooke said as she set down her napkin that was clearly much better than the others. She started on the next one.

Jackie appeared to be just fiddling with the fabric. She was lost in her own little world only picking up on the conversation from time to time. "I agree. This is stupid." She threw the white cloth down on the table.

Kitty walked up to the table with a salad bowl in hand. "Why is no one folding?"

"I'm folding Mrs. Forman." Brooke stated as she presented another perfect swan.

"Look how wonderful Brooke. You are a natural at this." Brooke grinned from ear to ear as Kitty praised her efforts. Liz rolled her eyes. Kitty set the salad bowl down in the middle of the table. "Now how about the rest of you girls be productive and toss this salad for me."

As Kitty walked away, Liz set an evil smile on her face as she directed her eyes to Donna. "Yeah, toss the salad Donna. It could give you some… _practice_."

Donna glared at her. "Shut up. That's not even what Eric wanted to do." She picked up the tongs and started tossing the salad.

Liz rolled her eyes. "Hey, butt stuff is butt stuff."

Jackie gave a disgusted scoff. "Is he still up to that stuff, Donna? You should have broken up with him when I told you to the first time he tried that after he and the guys saw that nudie flick when we were kids." She thought bitterly on her own situation. "You could always divorce him you know."

Donna shook her head at the ridiculous statement. "I'm not divorcing Eric because he wants to try new things, no matter how weird," Donna shuddered, "they are."

Hyde's black car pulled up in the driveway, diverting their attention away from the abnormalities of Eric and Donna's relationship for a second. Jackie sat up straight in her seat and watched carefully as Hyde got out of the driver's side with Zach getting out from the passenger's side; both had broody expressions planted on their faces.

Once they reached the rest, Red slung an arm around Zach's shoulder. "See Josh. Zach here knows when to cut his hair." At that moment Kitty ran out to greet her adopted grandson and son.

"Oh honey, you shaved away those beautiful curls." She pinched his cheeks as she looked up at him. "Well, you still look very handsome even though it does look like you are about to go to war."

As Zach stood by and took everyone's comments about his radical change, Hyde looked over at Jackie who gave him a little smile saved just for him. In that single moment, he felt himself falling for her all over again. He wasn't sure why because she looked the same as she had in the past week, but when his eyes landed on her, he couldn't help but think that she was more beautiful than she had ever been before. Once she looked away to turn back to face the table she was sitting at, Hyde noticed that his pulse had quickened in that brief second.

In the times he wasn't worrying about his relationship with his son, Jackie had filled his thoughts completely. He felt the same way he did over twenty years ago. That special place reserved just for her in his heart had awakened. Dormancy had only made its arrival stronger than ever. Hyde kept trying to keep it down with the memories of the way he had treated her in the past, but every time they locked eyes with one another, he remembered what it was like to feel.

Hyde didn't really believe in God, but he had a feeling that some kind of higher power sent Jackie back to Point Place. He would be a fool to miss his last chance.

* * *

The barbeque was in full swing as adults holding beer cans conversed in little groups and the kids with their full stomachs patiently waited for Kitty's pies to cool. Zach was the only one sitting all by himself in one of the porch chairs by the kitchen. Kat had just called and told him that she couldn't make it tonight. Josh and the others played with firecrackers as they waited for night to fall to shoot off fireworks, but Zach just wasn't in the mood to join them. 

Kitty sat down next to Zach and smiled as she looked at all the happy people chatting in the driveway. She was so happy that everyone was home finally. "Now why aren't you having fun with the rest of your friends?" Kitty asked causing Zach to divert his attention to her. "You aren't supposed to be mopey on the 4th of July."

Zach gave her a slight smile. He always appreciated that the woman he thought of as his grandmother did everything she could to make everyone around her happy. "My girlfriend said she couldn't show up tonight."

"Oh, you have a girlfriend do you?" Kitty said as she leaned back, impressed with his words. "Well, it's about time. I thought you were going to be like you father for a while there."

Zach looked over to his dad who was talking with Jackie on the picnic bench. It was just the two of them, and it seemed like they couldn't stop smiling. His stomach tightened a bit as he realized that his dad never smiled about anything unless it came to Kelso being stupid or their late night chats they used to have all the time.

"You know, Jackie used to make your father very happy." Kitty leaned in and said as she noticed that he was looking at them.

Zach turned to her with interest. "Really?"

Kitty's eyes squinted with her huge smile. "Yes. That boy was in love with her before they even got together. The only time I ever saw him as happy as when he was with her was after you were born."

They both turned to look at the couple again. Anyone who claimed that there was no chemistry between the two had to be nuts. Zach noticed that they were holding hands hidden in-between their almost touching legs.

"I hope they get together again." Kitty said. Zach wasn't sure if she was talking to him or just to herself, but either way he heard her words loud and clear.

He knew it was selfish of him, but he felt pained by the smile on his father's face. All he had in his life was his dad, and he really didn't like the idea of this woman taking that away from him. He knew he wasn't being a big help with the new grudge he held so stubbornly to, but maybe over time those wounds could heal. He wanted his dad to be happy, but he wanted him to be happy in a family with him, just like they had always been. He felt guilty for being such an ass about wanting to see his mother. After his night with Kat, he really started to think about what his father's intentions were in the first place. He didn't want Zach to feel this way. Now it was too little too late, and Zach felt like everything was falling apart. He had never been this low before. He knew if he would just try to be friendly to his dad again, things could change, but every time he was around him, his stubbornness held him back. He just couldn't make himself swallow his own pride.

Zach watched as Jackie laughed about something his dad was saying. When their eyes met, they held onto each others stare for a long time.

Yeah, he definitely had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Dessert was served and the kids, including Zach, were shooting off fireworks in the street while the adults sat back and watched the show. Jackie felt seventeen again as the night sky lit up with beautiful purple and gold shooting stars. The night felt absolutely magical. It probably helped that she and Hyde had laughed and joked all night long and had barely left each others side. As much as she tried to keep up the friend composure, she felt that strong connection that always had been between the two of them grow even stronger. Her heart was being pulled in by Steven Hyde again. A little warning sign went off that reminded her of those last two years that she was in Point Place that Steven Hyde had hurt her more than anybody had, but things were a lot different now. They were a lot different now. 

Jackie knew that Hyde was thinking the same things too. He was actually acting like her Steven again. After Sam, the only time that she was ever sure that her Steven was somewhere under the cold, uncaring exterior was when she looked into his eyes. She understood why he wore sunglasses all the time because his eyes gave it all away. Now he was comfortable with her just like they used to be.

Another firework boomed and green fire rained downed from the sky. This moment couldn't' be more perfect.

"You know there is this really nice restaurant that replaced the Sizzler. Maybe I should show you tomorrow." Hyde said as he still stared off into the distance watching the kids load artillery shells.

It took a few seconds for Jackie to actually comprehend what he had just said to her. He was actually asking her out on a date. This was the moment of truth. This was the bridge needing to be crossed if she ever wanted to try things out with him again. The other side was frightening and unknown, and for all she knew tears could be shed for years again. However, this place she was at right now was somewhere she didn't belong. Jackie was put on this earth to love someone unconditionally, and even after all these years, she still felt that he was that someone.

"Okay."

* * *

**AN2: **Jackie and Hyde date is next! REVIEW! 


	14. Ch 13: New Death Sensation

**AN: **Here's the big zennie chapter! The chapter you guys have been waiting for. I hope to get a lot of feedback on this. I hope I'm not losing a few of you with this story. Trust me when I say this, it's all tying together! I didn't pull this out of the blue. It's an intricate story and all the parallels are put in here for a reason.

Check out my other story that I'm writing with elphabachan called That 70's Slasher Movie! It's a Friday the 13th/ T7S crossover.

* * *

Chapter 13: New Death Sensation

Jackie applied dark red lipstick to her still pouty and full lips. She was dressed in a simple black dress that she bought earlier that day with Donna. It had been so long since the two had gone shopping together. They had spent hours looking through clothes, and Jackie suggested outfits for Donna that would look great for her figure and hair color. They called each other midget and lumberjack just like the old days, and Jackie couldn't be happier.

Well, that was a lie. Jackie could be a lot happier. Right now she didn't know whether she was happy or not due to her bones shaking in her skin. It had been so long since she had been on a date and even longer since she had been on a date with Steven. Despite it being a nice restaurant that they were going to, Jackie still chose a pretty casual dress to wear. Dates with Hyde always had a very simple and comfortable feel to them no matter if they were going to the Hub or a place like this. That note didn't help Jackie calm herself. She was a nervous wreck, and Donna only sat back completely amused.

"Jackie, you need to chill out. You look like one of those tiny, spastic dogs that women carry around in their purse. Why are you so nervous? It's just Hyde."

Jackie wrapped her arms around her body to still herself as she sat next to Donna on Donna's bed. "Did I tell you that I used to have a dog?"

"No."

"Yeah, she was a Doberman. Dennis loved those dogs, and at first I really didn't want a big dog in the house. But she was such a princess, just like me."

Donna lifted her eyebrow in suspicion. "That's a nice story Jackie, but it still doesn't answer why you are so nervous."

"I know that, Donna, but anything that can get my mind off of tonight is what I want to talk about." Jackie looked away, irritated at Donna's teasing and her uncontrollable anxiousness.

"Besides, the fact that my first date in years is with Steven is worse than if it were with anybody else."

Donna let go of her teasing attitude and began to click into her maternal comforting. "Why, Jackie? I thought you wanted this to happen."

Jackie sighed and let go of her body, flopping her hands into her lap. "I do… it's just that I know we are going to talk about what happened between us. I want us to talk about it. It's not good just to forget about all that. It's just that I know this isn't going to be some simple date where we just have to entertain each other for a few hours and we'll be through with it. This night is important."

Donna wrapped an arm around her best friend's shoulders and hugged her into her body. "I know Jackie, but after tonight, everything will be okay. I promise."

"But what if it isn't?" Jackie questioned through little tears. "What if he isn't even sorry for what he did? I won't be able to take that Donna."

Donna frowned at her friend's insecurities. _ Not only should Hyde admit he is sorry, he better feel pretty damn lucky she is giving his ass a second chance. _"Trust me Jackie. I know he is more than sorry."

"Really?" Jackie sniffled and rubbed her nose.

"Yeah. Now stop crying. You don't want to ruin your makeup, do you?" Donna let the teasing return to her voice again, trying to cheer Jackie up.

"No. Not like it matters because I'll look gorgeous no matter what. I mean, look at this dress. I make it look so spectacular!"

Donna just laughed at her friend's vanity.

A doorbell sounded from downstairs, and Jackie suddenly felt 10 times smaller. Donna noticed her panicked expression and placed her hands on Jackie's shoulders. "It's okay. It's just Hyde." Donna got Jackie's eye contact and tried to keep her focused. "Alright, I'm going to go downstairs and you stand in the hallway. I'll talk to Hyde for a second and then you can make one of those walks down the stairs where you have everyone's attention just like you have always dreamed."

Jackie's face relaxed. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

Donna chuckled. Jackie was just too easy. "Yeah, really."

"Alright." Jackie took a few huffy breaths. "I'm ready."

Hyde waited patiently outside of the doorway, planting his feet to the concrete trying to make sure his legs didn't bolt on him. After getting ready, he pulled out his sunglasses because he knew that Jackie would be able to see how freaked out he was if he didn't. But once he put them on and looked at himself in the mirror, he knew that it just wouldn't do with Jackie. She had seen him this whole time without them, and she would most likely pitch a bitch fit if he dared to start wearing them now. Besides, he wanted this night to go over well. For years he hid behind dark aviators, giving him a perfect excuse to hide behind other walls as well. Living that way had earned him absolutely nothing. If he wanted any kind of second chance at happiness with Jackie, he had to quit hiding from her.

So that was why he was standing in Donna's doorway, trying his best to still his shaking leg, dressed in a suit and tie, and holding a single rose in his hand. He really questioned the flower angle, but Jackie always demanded flowers when they were dating as kids. The only time he listened to her then was once when they were at Mt. Hump and she began to complain about it. So he picked the first flower he found and placed it in her hair behind her ear. She thought it was the most romantic thing in the world and if his memory served him correctly, he got pretty lucky in the back of the El Camino that night. Even then he blamed his gesture on wanting to get some and not because he wanted to make her happy.

Getting some action was not his motivation for tonight, even though he had been thinking of that possibility quite a lot lately. It seemed like forever since he had gotten any. All of that didn't really matter so much to him anymore. He had had his share of women in the past, and through the years he realized that the best thing that ever happened to him was not mind blowing, kinky sex from some faceless girl who knew all the right moves. The best thing that had ever happened to him was spending secret nights with Jackie hiding out in his room, dancing with her at all the stupid dances she loved so much, and feeling her soft whispers of "I love you's" that skimmed his neck during their breathless hours. Just like he had grown, so had Jackie. He knew that the woman that had come to Point Place from Boston was not the same girl that would give him car sex for picking her a flower. He no longer deserved her clinging attention and grand rewards for the little gestures he pulled off every once in a while. He was doing all of this just for her.

Hyde took a deep breath and slowly blew the air out his nose. The front door swung open and Donna stood smiling at him.

"Wow Hyde. You really dressed yourself up for this night didn't you?" Hyde met her with a stern look as she almost burst into giggles at his appearance.

"Can it, Donna." Hyde pushed past her into the living room.

"Is that a rose in your hand? Aw, you loovvee her."

"I said can it, Donna." His voice grew more irritated with her teasing.

"Are you guys going to kissy wissy on your date?" Donna made kissy faces as she rotated her hands and body along with her words.

A loud clearing of a throat that clearly belonged to Jackie sounded from upstairs. Donna giggled again and straightened up. "May I present to you, your date, Ms. Jacqueline B. Burkhardt!"

Jackie descended the stairs with all the grace she could muster. Hyde only stared as she made her way down the cream carpeted steps. He expected her to look beautiful, but not this beautiful. You really couldn't tell that she was almost a 40 year old woman. Jackie turned her head to meet Hyde's eyes once she reached the bottom. She could tell her eloquent entrance had some kind of effect of him because she noticed a small smile glazed over his eyes that accompanied the one on his face.

"Hi Steven." She said, slowly walking towards him.

"You look really beautiful Jackie." He replied back, not able to tear his eyes away from her.

"You look really nice in your suit." She looked down at the ground, feeling shy at the little moment they shared.

"Aww," Donna broke the tension in the room, or did she just add to it?

"Do you want to leave now? Hyde asked, placing a hand on the small or her back starting to lead her to the door.

"Yes please." Jackie shot Donna a giddy look as she passed by.

* * *

They sat across each other at a small table by the wall of the dimly lit restaurant. It was Italian, and pretty nice for Point Place standards. Jackie couldn't stop smiling. When they were kids, she was lucky if he took her to the Sizzler on their anniversary, but this was for no special occasion other than to get to know each other again.

"God I just love Italian food." Jackie exclaimed as the waitress set down her plate in front of her. "I think it just might be the best food on the planet."

"Yeah." Hyde answered, giving her a little smile as she dug into her pasta. "It's Zach's favorite too."

"Bobby's favorite is Cajun. Once, when he was twelve, Dennis and his law firm went to New Orleans for this seminar right around Mardi Gras, and for once he actually took Bobby and me. We went to the parade and this couple that lived there who were family members of one of Dennis's law partners were next to us, and they just insisted we come to their house for a big cook out they were having. It was pretty good, a little to hot for my tastes, but I swear Bobby was going to eat them out of a house and home. And then they brought out the crawfish." Jackie squirmed in her seat at the memories. "Ick, I wouldn't touch the things but Bobby was like a vacuum through them."

"Aren't they just like tiny lobsters?" Hyde asked, taking a bite of his food.

"Yeah, but they creeped me out. I always order just lobster tails. I don't want my food's own beady eyes staring back at me as I eat it, much less hundreds of them!"

Hyde chuckled as her eyes grew round as she got more emotional with her speech. "I remember being slightly embarrassed by him because it was like he completely forgot his table manners, but once I looked around, I noticed that no one was being polite. Do you know what they do after they eat the tails of those things? Suck the heads!"

Hyde choked a little on his chicken and quickly reached for his glass of water. Hearing Jackie yell, "Suck the heads!" was just a little too much of an innuendo for his mind, especially coming out of her mouth.

"Are you okay, Steven?" Jackie asked as she gently placed her hand on his arms and looked up at him with concern in her eyes.

Once Hyde gained control of his coughing, he smiled at Jackie and said, "Yeah. You just need to watch you language around me."

"Steven!" Jackie exclaimed as she swatted his arm and began to grow red, slowly realizing what she just yelled out. "You know what I mean."

Hyde just chuckled at her embarrassment. After her cheeks started fading back to their normal hue, she sat quietly in her seat, thinking more on the memory. "Bobby wanted to try, you know, THAT… but I forbade it. After I explained to him that their guts and brains were in there, he decided not too."

Hyde studied her facial expression. She was grinning so big, but sadness left a fade in the shine of her eyes.

"Sounds like a really good memory." He said, closely watching her body language.

"Yeah, it is." She folded her hands in her seat. She couldn't stop the next words that came out. "We don't really talk that much anymore. He's always busy with school and friends."

Hyde nodded his head and they both weren't sure of what to say. Hyde almost was about to tell her that he and Zach were having problems too, but then he'd have to start talking about Sam and he did want to have that conversation just yet.

"Steven." Jackie called to him. He looked up at her and saw she was shyly playing with her napkin in her lap. "Do you think that I'm a bad mother because I left him?"

Hyde noticed the desperate look in her eye as she patiently waited for his answer. "Well, how old is he now?"

"Eighteen."

"Is he going to college in the Fall?"

"Yeah. He was accepted to Dartmouth."

"Have you talked to him since?"

"Yeah, I left a note when I left because he wasn't at home at the time, and then I was finally able to get in touch with him on the phone last week."

"Don't worry Jackie. You've been there his entire childhood. You didn't leave him in a place where he still needed you like our folks did." Hyde reached across the table and wrapped Jackie's hand into his. He gave it a light squeeze and she answered back with her own.

* * *

The stars were extra bright that night, lighting up the black of the night sky. Underneath the celestial giants were two hearts side by side in their keeper's bodies. They returned to the first place that it had all began so many years ago. A place where they had shared their first true kiss and a place where they told their first lie to each other.

Jackie thought about that kiss and how soft his lips felt against hers. She had never been kissed like that before, and even when she was with Steven, there were only a few rare moments that he kissed her just like that again. Thinking back to that night, Jackie had never been so scared about what someone thought of her before. She put her soul in that kiss, and it wasn't until the very end when her lips were sparking with passion did the thought cross her mind that he might not be feeling the same way. The fight or flight instinct kicked in, and unfortunately, Jackie chose flight.

Before hashing out the big things that tore their souls apart from each other, Jackie wanted to get to the very foundation that their rocky relationship built itself upon.

"Steven." Jackie's voice called to him, and Hyde thought he had never heard a sweeter sound.

"Yes, doll." His use of her nickname gave her courage.

"Do you remember our first kiss?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I lied to you that night."

Hyde's body froze as he comprehended her confession. They had said many things that night, but he knew exactly what she was referring to. "Why?" Was all he could ask.

"I was just scared. The kiss was amazing and I was afraid you would just burn me again."

Hyde wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him. "Well, I wasn't going to."

"Did you lie too?" She peered up at him with her mismatched eyes that still held their colors even in the moonlight.

"Yeah, I did." He answered her, never breaking their stare.

Jackie couldn't help herself. She grasped his face in between her palms and pressed her lips onto his. Luckily for her, Hyde wasn't too shocked and soon reciprocated the kiss. At first, their lips held onto each others at a slow pace, trying their best to remind each other of how it used to feel. It wasn't long until their lips glided across each others passionately, making new memories for their hearts.

Once Jackie was satisfied with the taste of him on her tongue, she slowly pulled away, this time not pretending that he didn't take her breath away. She rested her head on top of his shoulder and breathed in his scent that was all him.

Hyde ran his fingers through her silky hair as his heart rate began to come down. He felt like the luckiest person on earth that she was giving him a second chance. Long years without the one thing that makes life worth living does that to a person. Even the most guarded badassses have to change sometime.

Hyde laid his head down on Jackie's and decided he would take the plunge into the issue that they never truly talked about. Because she wasn't looking directly at him with her eyes that held her soul on their brims, he figured his apologies would be much easier to voice.

"Jackie," she felt his voice tremble against her skin. "I made a huge mistake a long time ago."

Jackie's heart twisted in pain, but she squeezed his thigh, encouraging him to continue anyway.

"I should have trusted you when it came to Kelso."

"I don't blame you for the way you felt. I was a bit immature when it came to those things."

"None of that should matter Jackie." Hyde took a deep breath, trying his hardest to continue with his speech. Even though he had come a long way, it was still hard to put himself out there, even for her.

"Look Jackie. I'm going to be completely honest with you right now and you'll probably never here me say these things again, because… well…they're difficult." Jackie stilled her body, not wanting to miss a word of what he was about to say. "I never let you completely in, and I think ultimately that was what hurt us in the end. I was always suspicious, and whenever something happened that didn't look exactly right, I did everything I could to hurt you more than how I felt. And even whenever I was sorry for the things I did, for some reason I had to be so damn self-righteous about it all. I just let that pride take the best of me because I thought it was all I truly had. But I had you, and I didn't realize until I really lost you for good just how much you gave yourself to me. All the things that I've done Jackie, especially when I married Sam… they haven't been because I didn't care about you because I did. I guess I just never truly accepted that I would be good enough for you in the end."

"Well what about now?" Jackie asked as her eyes let her tears loose. "How are things different now?"

"Because these last twenty years have been shit without you doll, and I never want that to happen again."

Jackie launched herself onto his body, burying her face in his neck and crying her eyes out. She was proud of how open he was being with her even though it had taken all this time for it to happen. But she mostly cried because the emptiness began to close in on itself. So this was how it felt when her pain died? Jackie knew they still had a world to talk about, but this was the first step into their progression to rediscover communication.

* * *

**AN2: **Nexy chappy is the Zach/Jackie convo! I love that you guys have been asking this because this convo has been planned from day one. Review! 


	15. Ch 14: The Grude and the Patient

**AN: **So this chapter is a little short, but I really didn't want to continue with what I have next in this one. Hopefully the content will make up for its shortness. This is the Jackie/Zach convo chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 14: The Grudge and the Patient

Jackie rolled over and snuggled into the warm body that dozed away next to her. He immediately wrapped his arm around her possessively, and she found that perfect spot right on his chest that was heaven to rest on. Jackie slowly blinked her eyes opened and looked around at the room she was in. Memories of the night before flooded her brain as she recognized everything about that room. After returning from their date, she and Steven made love until their bodies were absolutely spent. They spent the rest of their waking hours talking about everything they needed to say. The euphoric bliss that proceeds after sex helped alleviate some of the blows of their confessions and explanations.

He had clammed up a few times, and she almost stormed off into the bathroom on multiple occasions. However, it was all important to get to where they were when they fell asleep in each others arms. No one can erase a life time of pain in one night, but they were okay again.

Jackie turned her head upwards and gazed at the sleeping Hyde. He still looked angelic when he slept, just like when they were teenagers. She pushed her body upwards to plant a kiss on his cheek. His strong arms that were still snaked around her body tighten and pushed her towards the bed as he followed suit. Jackie giggled at the trail of kisses he left down her neck. He made his way to her mouth, and Jackie caught his lips in a passionate kiss that told him just how much she wanted him right then and there.

Hyde suddenly became very aware of the bright light that filled his room from the window. He broke his kiss with Jackie and looked to his alarm clock. Once he realized what time it was, he groaned into Jackie's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she stroked his head.

"I have to be at this meeting in like 20 minutes. I've got to go."

"Can't you reschedule?" Jackie pouted as he left the bed and began to search for clothes to put on.

"I'll only be hour." He answered, pulling on his boxer shorts. "I'll come right back to you once it's over with."

"What am I supposed to do in the meantime?" Jackie groaned. She continued to pout at him in hopes that he would change his mind.

Hyde quickly turned around and walked to his closet to pull a shirt out. She was being very tempting, but he had to go to this meeting. "No amount of pouting can change the fact that I'm the owner of Grooves, Jackie. You'll just have to wait for an hour."

Jackie decided to pull out the last or her arsenal. She breathed a huge sigh. "Well I don't know if I'll want to do it in an hour. You just can't will this kind of thing."

Hyde perked an eyebrow up at her as he pulled on his slacks. "I think I can think of a few things that do not involve 'will'." He zipped up and moved to his shoes. Jackie rolled her eyes and hid her face in the pillow to hide the grin that over took her features. He was just too sexy.

"Just help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen."

Hyde gave Jackie a kiss goodbye and took off. She rolled over in bed and decided if she wasn't going to get any sex, then she might as well eat. It was the second best thrill in life anyways.

* * *

Jackie perched herself on the barstool in Hyde's kitchen as she ate an omelet she had made. She found one of Hyde's old shirt and put on some of his sweatpants that she had to roll up on her waist. The previous night just kept replaying over and over in her head. Jackie smiled too herself. She couldn't imagine that life could be much better than it was right then.

Light footsteps that sounded behind her interrupted Jackie's thoughts. She turned around to see a sleepy Zach making his way into the kitchen. He briefly looked over her but didn't seem too surprised to see her. He didn't seem exactly happy about her presence either. Jackie suddenly felt very uncomfortable being in Hyde's house and eating his food because it wasn't just his, it was Zach's too.

Zach opened up the refrigerator and picked up the orange juice from the side door. He began to pour himself a glass as he tried to ignore the brunette that was still eating in his kitchen. He knew that she came home with his dad last night. He heard them come in together and then turned on his music to drown out whatever they were going to be up to. He didn't want to know. The fact that she was sitting in his kitchen in his dad's clothes really left little up to the imagination.

He really didn't feel like bullshitting around with meaningless small talk with her. He had seen her chatterbox in action, and he wanted to go back to his room by the evening time. Instead, Zach had a much better defense hidden in his sleeve.

The kitchen bar was in an L shape, and while Jackie sat at the shaft of the L, Zach took a seat at the extension so that he could somewhat face her. He studied her while she ate her omelet. He could tell she was uncomfortable and trying her best not to notice his staring. She looked up for a second and gave him a polite smile.

"You know, I find it interesting that the two people that hate Sam the most in the world are sitting in this kitchen." Zach said as he took another drink of his orange juice.

Jackie slowly gulped, trying her best to recover from the blow he just delivered. He was definitely cynical like Steven.

"Well, you never know. She could have ruined other people's lives that we just don't know about."

Zach grinned at her response; impressed at how fast she answered as well as that she didn't deny it. She wasn't going to sugar coat anything with him and that was something he could respect. He decided to continue.

"Dad told me what happened between you two." Zach waited a moment, gauging Jackie's reaction. "Why are you getting back together with him after all that? Don't you hate him too for what he did?"

Jackie shifted in her seat a bit. _Bingo._ Zach thought. His tests were hard to wriggle out of, and he knew that this one would be an obstacle for her.

She noticed that Zach was not only cynical like his dad, but his eyes were also just as piercing. She felt the pressure as his ice blue orbs demanded an answer.

"Wow, you really aren't one for small talk, are you?" Jackie crossed her arms against her chest. Zach just smirked again, still waiting.

"Um… well." Jackie blew out a nervous breath. How was she supposed to answer a question like this to a kid she barely knew? "Well, I did sort of hate your father for a long time because of it. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it hate. I'm not sure what you would call it." Jackie looked up at Zach and saw he was definitely paying attention. It coaxed her to continue. "After a while I just realized that you can't spend your whole life hating someone. It really sours who you are."

Zach nodded to himself. He took another sip of his drink. The citric acid was a little harsher on its way down his throat this time. He had to give her credit. She took his patronizing antics like a champ. Part of him wanted his to the bone questioning to have this woman rethink her little rendezvous with his father, but then the other side of him could care less. Apathy was slowly creeping into Zach's heart as one thing after another seemed to not go his way. Well, except with Kat. Things with her had been surprisingly well.

Awkward silence wasn't the proper term to describe what Jackie and Zach were experiencing. Choosing jumping off of a bridge rather than sitting in the quiet was more like it. Zach's brain was in overdrive as he tried to rationalize with himself why his dad being with her was such a bad idea. He really couldn't logically wrap his finger around it. It was just a protective feeling he was getting. Jackie tapped her fork against her empty plate, trying her best to find a good exit out of the situation.

Zach cleared his throat and began to speak. "So this thing you have with my dad, is it for real this time?"

Jackie stopped tapping, alarmed at how this angry boy could voice her own insecurities verbatim. Even though Steven assured her the night before that things were different this time, a little piece of her was still uneasy. She dared herself to look into Zach's eyes once more, and she found something she wasn't expecting. Sincerity replaced the haze in his eyes, and now it was clear that his intentions with this question were purer than the previous ones. It didn't feel like another stab at what she and Steven used to be. Jackie allowed her tense body to relax as she tried to find her words. "It's real for me this time."

Zach thought back to the moment that he walked in on his father and Jackie meeting for the first time in over 20 years. He remembered how he could feel the tension on his skin that just radiated off the two. But more importantly, Zach remembered the look on his father's face as he just stared at Jackie. He had never looked so exposed before.

Damn it, it was real for him too.

Zach got up from the bar stool and nodded his head. "Good to know."

Jackie watched Zach's back as he began to leave the kitchen. This departure just didn't feel right in her gut. There was a purpose to the confrontation, and Jackie had a feeling that she knew exactly what it was.

"Hey Zach!" she called to him.

Zach turned around, and he quickly took notice to Jackie's new confident demeanor.

"I know you probably don't like the idea of me entering you and your dad's life like this, but I promise I won't do anything to come between the two of you."

Zach wiggled his toes in his shoes to be sure that he was still standing. He was absolutely floored by her declaration. It was as if she read that part of his mind that he tried his best not to delve into. She had rise and overcome the expectations he had set for her previously. If anything else, this woman was definitely going to be challenging.

Jackie watched Zach walk away once more, satisfied that she got her point across. However, she knew that things would not be that easy. She had first hand experience when it came to winning the over a Hyde boy. It would definitely take months of proving that she was "cool". Jackie was willing to take on the challenge. Being with Steven also meant being in Zach's life as well, but she really didn't mind that idea. She wanted to be apart of a family again.

* * *

**AN2: **And there it is! Hopefully it met your expectations. Review! 


	16. Ch 15: Our Infinite Struggle

**AN: **Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! I'm so happy that you guys liked last chapter because it was the one of the few that I was worried about.

So this chapter is pretty monumental as far as the story goes. It turned out a lot different than I originally planned, but I'm so glad that it did. The biggest surprise to me, however, is that my story is almost over. I have never finished a story in my entire life if you don't count oneshots. This story will definitely hold a special place in my heart forever. Basically all that is left after this is one more chapter and then my epilogue. I'm pretty stoked about the epilogue because it's one of the reasons I actually started writing this.

Read and Review!

* * *

Chapter 15: Our Infinite Struggle 

_A few weeks later_

Teenage shoes tip toed up the stairs of the Hyde home. Their owners eyes stayed glued onto the couple that was sitting in the living room nearby watching a movie. Once they made it safely to the top of the stairs without being seen, the two quickly hid in the sanctuary of the hallway. Kat couldn't contain herself anymore as she began to giggle next to Zach.

"Shh… would you be quiet?" Zach whispered as he peaked around the hallway again to make sure his father or Jackie didn't hear her.

"I just can't help it." She whispered back, getting close to his ear. "It's all just too exciting! It's like we're criminals or something."

Zach lifted his eyebrows at her as she continued to giggle in her hands. "Well it's very suiting then because the things I'm about to do to you should definitely be a crime."

Kat swatted at his chest, but Zach quickly grabbed her wrist and pushed her towards his bedroom. "Do you want us to get caught?" He hissed.

"Oh come on. Do you really think your dad will care if we're up here?"

Zach quietly turned the doorknob and slowly pushed his bedroom door open. "Maybe not care to the point I'd get in trouble, but he'd definitely interrupt if he knew you were up here with me. He likes to pester me like that."

As the two entered his bedroom Kat whispered back, "It seems that both of you like to pester each other like that."

"What do you mean?" Zach knitted his eyebrows in confusion as he held the doorknob in the open position to close his door without being heard.

"What I mean is that someone doesn't like that their daddy has a new girlfriend." Kat sang in a teasing voice.

Zach glared at her as she smugly smiled at him as if she just cornered him in a place he didn't want to be. _Whatever_. He'd show her.

"Pft, I don't care who he dates." He huffed and walked past her to sit on his bed.

"Oh yeah. Well what about at dinner the other night when you were practically insulting her the entire time, and the only reason you stopped was because your dad about gutted you right there on the table." Kat placed her hands on her hips and waited for his response. _Fuck. She remembered that._ Zach thought as he kept his cool on the outside.

"That's because I don't like annoying people. It has nothing to do with the fact that she's dating my dad."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Sure it doesn't." She plopped herself on the bed next to him. "Well I don't think she's annoying. I actually kind of like her."

"You would." Zach shook his head. When Kat didn't respond, he peered his eyes over to her and saw that she was shooting daggers at him with her eyes. She would have been more convincing if it wasn't for the tiny smile that played at her lips. Before Zach could call her out on her bluff, she pounced on him and began tickling his sides in the spots she knew would break him.

Zach gritted his teeth, trying his best to hold back the laughter that was going to erupt from his body. He grabbed her by the arm and pinned her to the bed. He proceeded to attack her body by finding her own spots that caused her to beg for mercy for him to stop the sensational torture. She began to laugh a little too loudly, so he silenced her with a searing kiss.

* * *

Downstairs, Jackie snuggled her head onto Hyde's shoulder as they watched Dawn of the Dead. 

"Eh, I always hated this movie. What is the appeal of zombies anyway? Vampires, I can see. At least they have some kind of supernatural feel to them. Zombies are just mindless, disgusting people that want to eat brains. What's so sensational about that?"

"Jackie, the whole point of zombie movies is that it could happen to anyone! One bite and the virus that infects them is spread to you."

"Same thing with vampires, Steven!"

"Yeah, but vampires aren't real!" Hyde shouted.

Jackie met his shout with her own. "Neither are zombies!"

Hyde shook his head from side to side. "Can you prove that there isn't a virus out there that decays your brain and makes you want to eat people?"

Jackie folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Well… no, but…"

"I rest my case then." Hyde slumped back onto the couch and continued to watch the movie.

Jackie sighed and rested her head against his shoulder again. "Steven, I missed our bickering."

Hyde smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I missed it too, Doll."

Jackie snuggled in closer and rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek for using his nickname for her. "Aw, Steven. You called me Doll."

Hyde ignored her and continued with his claim. "Yeah, cause you always look so hot when you get mad."

Jackie just smirked at his attempts to conceal his cute remark. "Please Steven. I look hot all the time."

She turned her eyes back to the movie but couldn't seem to watch it. Something was bugging her.

"Steven, are you going to tell Zach and Kat to get out of his room?"

"Not just yet. I like to make him think that he succeeded at sneaking past me, and then go interrupt when I know he's really up to no good."

A feminine laugh sounded from upstairs. "Yep," Hyde wrapped his around Jackie tighter. "Any minute now and I'll be pounding on his door."

"Aw, you're such a good daddy, embarrassing your son in front of his girlfriend." Jackie patted his stomach and shined her smile that always lit up a room up at him.

Hyde smirked down at her but his stomach suddenly took a loop for the worse. He hadn't been such a great father lately. Zach was burning Jackie left and right, and he hadn't done much to get him to stop. He understood that Zach was uncomfortable and upset with the new situation, but it was getting a little ridiculous. Luckily, Jackie was handling everything gracefully. She didn't even seem phased by Zach's words half the time. He would say it was hot just how badass she was being if the situation wasn't so serious. What was the most shocking of all was the fact that Jackie was having a hell of a time coping with the distance from her own son, and she really didn't need the negative pressure from Zach at the moment. However, she didn't complain once. Instead, she held her head up high and carried a mysterious, knowing look in her eye.

Hyde cleared his throat, and Jackie immediately averted her attentive eyes to him. It was a trait of his that she picked up on long ago when he wanted to talk about something serious. "Jackie… about the things Zach has been saying to you…"

"I know. It's okay." Jackie patted his leg and met his eyes. "I understand, and it doesn't really bother me. I know it'll take some time for him to come around."

Hyde smiled at her strength. The Jackie he used to know would have been very upset with the idea of someone not liking her. This Jackie though, she had a whole new confidence.

"Well, I'm going to go break Zach and Kat up." He pecked her on the lips and left her to watch the cannibalism playing on the TV screen.

As Hyde made his way up the stairs, a question that had been plaguing his mind for the past few weeks popped up again. He wanted to ask Jackie to move in with him. She was still staying at Eric and Donna's and hadn't found a job yet. She was talking about opening up her own store in Point Place, but that was a long time in the future. Besides, it wasn't just Jackie's living situation; he really wanted her to be here all the time. His commitment to Jackie was real this time, and he didn't want to jeopardize their relationship in any way by backing out on his feelings again.

The only problem of course was with Zach. He knew that he wouldn't stand for it. Hyde didn't want to have to choose between the woman he loves and his son.

There's was only one thing he could do. He and Zach were going to have to have a talk, and a long one at that. No more beating around the bush or ending things with the false comfort of apathy. Zach and he were going to have to actually communicate and figure out where each of them stood. He just hoped it wouldn't blow up in his face.

* * *

Zach spooned Kat as they relaxed on his bed. He was hoping that maybe he would get somewhere past second with her that night, but it seemed like she just wasn't ready yet. He didn't mind too much. He had already decided that this was something he really wanted, and he didn't care how long the wait would be. 

"So how are you going to feel when Jackie moves in?" Kat said sleepily to him.

Zach lifted his head up to look at her face. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Kat turned her head to face him as she gave him a stern look.

"What gave you the idea that Jackie is going to move in?" Zach snapped back.

Kat rolled her eyes. "Zach, this is what adults do. They date a while, and when things go well, they move in with each other. It's usually what happens with my dad."

Zach held in the biting comment he wanted to lash at her. He kept reminding himself over and over again in his head that it wasn't her fault he was so angry. The last thing he wanted to do was take it out on her.

"Well," he answered with a tight voice. "Maybe things will be different with my dad."

Kat shook her head. She knew him and his stubbornness. "Just don't be surprised if it does happen, okay?"

"Alright."

A loud rapping sounded at the door that made both Kat and Zach jump out of their skins.

"Maybe if we're really quiet he won't know we're in here and he'll go away." Zach whispered as he eyed the door.

"Zach," his father's voice called. "I know you and Kat are in there."

"Damn it."

* * *

Zach sat at the bar eating a late night snack before going to bed. Jackie had just left for the night, and his dad was in his office. The warning that Kate had given him ate away at his brain. He tried his best to shake the idea off, but there was just something so ominous to her words. He racked his brain as he tried to figure out exactly how he would react if this moving in idea really came true. 

Hyde slowly entered the kitchen as he watched his son chomp away at a sandwich he had made. That nervous feeling in his gut he always felt when he had to confront someone came back again. The clock was nearing midnight, and everything in the house was completely silent.

"Zach." Hyde's voice cracked through the air. Zach turned to his father. Their eyes made contact. It was now or never.

"I have to talk to you about something, son." Hyde walked over to the bar and took a seat.

The reluctance in his father's voice made Zach begin praying to the god he didn't believe in that he wouldn't say what he thought he was going to say; what his body was dreading he would going to announce. "What is it, Dad?"

Hyde took in his son's image. His hair was still shaved short, advertising his rebellion for all to see; however, his eyes weren't as cold as they once were when he returned from Vegas. The blue oceans that were mirror images of his own reflected fear and innocence. That little boy that he had raised all by himself reappeared to him. His natural need to protect him and help him in any way possible emerged, and Hyde suddenly knew exactly what he needed to do. He needed to convince Zach to be okay with Jackie moving in. Zach needed a family just as much as Jackie did.

Hyde lifted his head in confidence. "Zach, I want to know how you feel about Jackie moving in with us."

Zach's body was immobile. The situation wasn't exactly irony because he was expecting it all along, but it certainly still came as a surprise to him. He squeezed fists that were hidden under the bar together as he tried his best not to finally explode.

"I don't care." He said as he looked down at his half eaten ham and cheese sandwich. He wasn't even hungry anymore.

"Yes you do."

Zach snapped his head to his father and questioned his statement with the testing look he shot at him.

"You care, Zach. Now just tell me what the problem is." Hyde's voice remained calm and steady, trying his best to coax a confession out of him.

"Nothing is wrong, Dad." Zach's voice was pushing over the edge of nonchalant and falling towards aggression. He needed to get out of the situation.

"Then why have you been so rude to Jackie lately? I understand that 'burning' might be something we do, but you have just been cruel lately."

Zach huffed in his seat and pushed himself off the stool. "Whatever. I'm out of here."

For a man of forty, Hyde was surprisingly fast as he quickly blocked the exit from the kitchen.

"Get out of my way." Zach demanded, smoke practically steaming from his ears.

"No Zach." Hyde crossed his arms and defiantly stared his son in the eyes. "You can't expect me to open up and answer all of your questions just to close up yourself. It's not a one way street in this family."

Zach felt like hitting something when his father threw that in his face. He held his ground even though his zen was crumbling beneath him. "Well what the hell is it that you want to know?"

"I want to know what you're thinking about all of this!"

Zach shook his head and scoffed. "This is so fucking ridiculous." He said to himself.

"Well then tell me why it's so fucking ridiculous, Zach."

Zach stopped and placed his hands on his hips. Zach stared his father directly in the eyes, and Hyde could see he was having an internal battle. After a few seconds of silence, Zach finally let go and shook his head.

"I don't know." His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Everything is just so damn confusing."

Hyde patiently listened as he watched Zach begin to pace.

"I mean, all of this shit is just thrown at me, and I haven't even had time to get used to it.

Hyde nodded his head. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry about that."

Zach barely heard his words. Pandora's box had been opened and all the evils were racing from him.

"It's a little hard to find out that the person who you thought had all the answers to about that missing part of your life is just a whore who ruined your dad's life."

"It wasn't completely her fault, Zach." Hyde interrupted. "Yeah, Sam's a bitch for running out on you, but the fact that we were together in the first place was my choice."

"Regardless. It doesn't help to know that the woman who gave birth to you is just a big disappointment."

Hyde closed his eyes as his own insecurities bled through. How right he knew Zach's words were. They were both silent a while as they stewed in that pain that they shared.

"Look, I don't know exactly why it is that I don't like Jackie. I just don't." Zach held out his hand, hoping the conversation could just end.

"You're going to have to give her a chance, Zach." Hyde's solemn tone demanded. "She's important to me, and I think she could be important to you, too."

Zach kept his gaze to the floor as he thought about his father's words. Jackie's promise from a few weeks before escaped from his memories and showed itself again. His dad had said she could be important to him too. He didn't want to run away with her. He wanted to share with him whatever magic he saw in this woman that Zach just couldn't see yet. An unspoken promise that sealed itself in Zach's head pushed him towards acceptance.

"Alright," His compliant voice assured Hyde he wasn't lying. "She can move in with us."

* * *

**AN2: **My family is coming in tomorrow for my graduation on Saturday, so I'm not sure how long it'll take for the next chapter to go up. Hopefully not very long. 

If you haven't yet, check out mine and elphabachan's story That 70's Slasher Movie.


	17. Ch 16: Ether

**AN: **Here's the last chapter of my story with an epilogue that'll soon follow. Man, it feels so good to actually finish one of these things. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me through this entire thing. Your support has really pushed me to get this story out there. I hope you guys enjoy the update! Reviews rock!

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Chapter 16: Ether

Jackie stepped into her new home, hoping it would be the last time she would ever move again until Steven and she retired and traveled the world as two smoking hot old people. He didn't ask her over a romantic dinner for two or have a plane spell it out in the sky as she always dreamed about when she was younger. The practicality in that actually happening was slim to none, and Jackie accepted that something to that magnitude would never come out of Steven Hyde. However, it wasn't grand gestures that made her fall in love with him. It was his little attempts at showing her, and only her, just how much she meant to him. When he casually told her that since she came over so much any ways that she might as well move in, Jackie knew that it was a big deal for him. He always downplayed important things, especially when he was really nervous about it. Jackie, of course, blew the entire issue into proportions that Hyde never intended as she hopped around the kitchen celebrating.

Jackie marched her way through the house as she guided the young men who were carrying her now many suitcases after countless shopping sprees into the house.

"What the hell is in this thing?" Jeff whispered to Hyde as he struggled with a particularly deceivingly heavy box.

"Makeup." Hyde gruffly stated as he pushed his way passed the boy. "You should be grateful that she even trusted you to carry that thing. Now quit complaining and get your ass upstairs." Hyde walked off with his own box of Jackie items.

"Dude," Jeff turned to Zach. "Why is your dad such a hardass?"

"You think he's bad?" Zach huffed. "You should meet my Grandpa Red."

Everyone made their way up to Hyde's bedroom that now was also Jackie's and put her things down on the floor. Jackie informed all of them that she could handle the unpacking.

"I'm going to miss you bossing everyone around, midget." Donna said as she lightly shoved Jackie's shoulder.

"Aw, and I'm going to miss your lumberjack decorating!" Jackie threw her arms around the red head to give her a big hug.

Eric, Hyde, Zach and Josh walked in with more boxes. Eric and Hyde grinned at the sight of their women hugging each other.

"Alright. Now this is what I'm talking about. Now give her a goodbye kiss." Eric said sleazily, and Donna and Jackie broke apart.

"Dad," Josh rolled his eyes and tossed the box to the floor. "Do me and favor and don't refer to you wanting Mom to do lesbian things around me."

Zach and Josh exited the room, shaking their heads in disgust.

Jackie bounced back from the incident, completely ignoring the exchange. "Thanks so much you guys for letting me stay with you for so long. I don't know what I would have done if you guys didn't take me in."

"We loved having you stay with us, Jackie." Donna assured.

"Speak for yourself!" Eric called as he set down the box he was carrying. He flashed Jackie a smile though to tell her he was only kidding.

"You know you are going to miss me, Eric." Jackie stood by him and looked up at him with a knowing eye.

Eric rolled his eyes but then gave the girl that had eased her way into his heart as one of his best friends again. "Alright, I guess I am going to miss you. You have been good company for the summer."

"That's right. I mean, how many times do your kids buy you shirts that actually make you look like you have shoulders and discuss the good old days when roller disco was in?" Jackie held our her hands with her presenting question, not even realizing that she just pushed Eric right into a pile of shit.

"You still like roller disco, Forman?" Hyde sneered. "You're lamer than I thought."

Eric looked to Donna for approval and only found her greeting him with a disappointed look and her shaking head. He sighed and pushed his hands into his pockets.

"I should have known my secret would have been revealed when intrusting Jackie's BIG MOUTH with that kind of information." Eric turned on his heel and grabbed Donna's hand. "Come Donna. Let's leave this humiliation behind us."

Hyde and Jackie watched the two leave the bedroom and then looked to each other. Jackie couldn't hide the grin playing at her lips as joy surged through her body. Hyde filled in the gap between their bodies as he walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So, do you want me to help you unpack all of your stuff?" He asked, giving her a look that said he really didn't want to help at all.

"I actually had something different in mind." Jackie bit her lip, and then suddenly pushed him onto the bed, climbing on top of his body so she could straddle his hips.

"Oh, I like this much better." Hyde said as ran his fingers through Jackie's hair, pulling her head down to crush his lips against hers.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

His pace was that of a machine gun, shooting off pounding beats like bullets through the air. His feet moved steadily in a fast progression, keeping the tempo through his double bass drums. The sleek wooden sticks gripped loosely in his hands swung along with his wrist that moved from tom to cymbal to snare in rhythmic patterns. All he could hear was music around him, and all he could feel was his heart keeping up with the building aggression laced in the sound. It was an odd sanctuary for a person. Palms sweating, heavy breathing, and the occasional hand smacking was usually something a person tended to avoid. Not Zach. Zach loved every second of the beating he gave his set every day. Bruises from flying sticks and missed steps were just trophies of a day well spent in his eyes. Drumming was better than any high he had ever experienced. When he was in the zone as Josh liked to refer to it as, there was nothing more exhilarating. He thrived in the serenity he found when he played the drums, especially how it sounded when Jeff and Josh joined in with their guitars.

The whole experience made him laugh at the people who said his music was ugly. How could anyone see negativity in something based on so much passion?

Most importantly, playing the drums was a great escape for him. It was one of the few things he was actually good at, and when he played, everyone respected him. It was his art and his expression, and everyone seemed to understand exactly that when they heard him play. Kat understood that as she sat against the wall of the Jam Room, watching him as if she were hypnotized. Jeff and Josh were playing their guitars, Jeff on bass, as they all practiced their new song they wrote during the passed week. It was very fast, like most of their songs, but this one had some unique pauses to put a little edge on it. Plus, Zach had a drum solo at the beginning of it.

Suddenly, Zach noticed Jeff and Josh had stopped playing and were staring at the door. Zach stopped his pounding and turned to see what they were staring at. Jackie stood in the doorway, holding a tray with three glasses of lemonade and wore a huge smile on her face.

"I just got done packing, and I thought I'd bring all you guys some lemonade." Jackie set the tray down on a nearby table.

"I'm about to make some cookies, Kat. Do you want to help me out some?" Jackie offered as she made her way back to the door.

Kat exchanged glances with all the guys and looked back to Jackie. "Sure." She got up and left, much to Zach's dismay. He was enjoying having her watch him play. Even though she'd sat in on practice a hundred times before, it was always great to put on a little show.

Josh picked up a glass of lemonade and took a sip. "Man, your new mom kicks major ass."

Zach frowned at him. He was contemplating whether or not to take a glass. Josh's comment about Jackie being his "mom" really made him want to ignore the lemony goodness just out of spite, but he was very thirsty.

Zach got up from his seat and picked up a glass. "She's not my new mom."

"Not only does she kick ass for getting us lemonade and making cookies," Jeff put in. "But she's also really hot."

Zach gulped down the glass, trying his best not to get angry at Jeff. He didn't even think about that possibility nor did he want to start. "Shut up, Jeff. Let's just play, okay?"

"I have to agree with Jeff here." Josh looked to his friend with a grin as Zach just walked back to his set. "She has a nice rack for an older lady."

"Yeah," Jeff agreed as he got a dreamy look on his face. "Kind of like your mom." Jeff slapped his friend on the back and Josh's face turned sour.

"Alright, let's just play." He said as he stormed away from Jeff back to his guitar.

Zach sat on his stool and tried to convince himself that his friends weren't right when they said that Jackie kicked ass. Giving them lemonade was a really nice gesture, but he didn't need to be taken care of by her. He was just fine on his own. Once Zach began playing again and took notice to his body's new and refreshing energy, guilt settled into his gut. If she kept this up, she was going to make it a lot harder for him to hate her.

* * *

Jackie and Kat hovered over the cookbook that was resting on the counter. Jackie scrunched her nose as she read the directions while Kat pulled out materials needed as she read along.

"Alright, looks like we have to cream the sugar and the butter together." Kat announced as she pulled a stick of butter from the refrigerator door and the carton of eggs from the top shelf. "You can crack these eggs while I cream."

Jackie shook her head and head out her hands. "Oh no no no. I'll cream and you crack the eggs."

Kat's forehead scrunched in confusion at Jackie's strange reaction. "Do you not like eggs or something?"

"No, eggs are fine. I just refuse to touch anything that's come out of a chicken's butt." Jackie grabbed the butter out of Kat's hand. "I'll be taking this then."

Kat shook her head from side to side once Jackie turned around. She shrugged her shoulders and went to cracking.

"So what do you like to do in your spare time, Kat?" Jackie asked as she poured the sugar into the bowl that now contained the stick of butter.

"Well, I like to read and write. I go to concerts with the guys sometimes."

"You sound a lot like Donna." Jackie answered. She took out a spoon to begin creaming. "However you have a lot better fashion sense then Donna even though your clothing is well… dark." Jackie's voice dropped as she tried her best not to insult the girl, a subconscious habit that she had. It was never her intention. She was just brutally honest in that sense. "At least you're willingly wear skirts though! I can respect a woman is she wears skirts."

Kat broke up the egg yolks in her own bowl with a fork. This brunette woman standing next to her, baking cookies with her, was just such a different person compared to other adults Kat had met. She took comfort in superficial things, but it didn't seem like an act to impress as others. When she complemented someone, she also was oddly insulting them at the same time. She was peculiar, but Kat couldn't help but enjoy her company. It was surprisingly comforting.

The two finished mixing the cookie dough, placed the little balls on a cookie sheet, and then put it in the oven.

"I hope these cookies come out okay. They have to be perfect for when Steven comes home."

Kat picked up on the only nervousness Jackie revealed during their entire cookie baking experience. "So do these cookies mean something?"

Jackie looked to the girl who seemed to catch on well to her motives. "Yes." She admitted. "I don't have much to give Steven to tell him thank you, so I want to bake him something to show how much I appreciate him. He knows I can't bake worth a crap, so if the cookies are good he'll know I put a lot of effort into it."

Kat smiled at the sincerity and sweetness in Jackie's words. She now knew why she liked her so much. She had one of the biggest hearts she'd ever seen. She just hoped her boyfriend would soon see it.

"Besides," Jackie added. "They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"So that's why you asked me to help?" Kat asked as she smirked.

"Yes, but don't tell him that you helped any. I need him to think I did it all by myself." Jackie pointed her finger, and Kat just laughed.

"Alright, I promise. My lips are sealed." Kat pretended to zip her lips up and throw away the key.

Jackie tapped her fingers on the counter as silence filled the air in the room. A question was bugging her, and she knew if she could just ask Kat, she'd get her answer. With a quick intake a breath, she willed herself to take the plunge.

"Kat?" Her voice was small but sharply grabbed Kat's attention. "I was wondering if Zach has a problem with me moving in so soon. I know he wasn't okay with me when his dad and I started dating, but he hasn't really showed much of a reaction to all of this. Has he told you anything?"

Kat took a step back inside herself and questioned whether she should tell Jackie the truth or not. The truth was that she really wasn't sure how Zach felt was with Jackie living there. She had tried to talk to him about it, but he only told her he was fine. She didn't believe him for a second. When her dad started dating again, she was totally not fine with his first girlfriend that moved in.

And then, the perfect answer struck Kat from the cosmos.

"Yeah, he has a problem with it." Kat answered, keeping her voice confident and steady. "But every kid has a problem when someone else comes into their parent's life. I did with my dad's first girlfriend. I was so rude to her the first few times I was around her, but, I just couldn't explain why I didn't like her. I think though, that we just don't like to admit that there is really nothing wrong with the other person, we just can't stand to share our parents' attention. But I loved how happy she made my dad, and I eventually came around. Zach isn't cold hearted or selfish, so I think he'll come around too."

Jackie shared a praising look with Kat, appreciating her honesty and wisdom from her own personal experience. Kat's assurance brightened Jackie's entire outlook within that single moment.

Keys rattled in the door as teenage footsteps trotted their way into the kitchen. The men of the house made their way into the home from opposite directions, one with his two stooges hungrily following. The oven timer beeped, signaling that the cookies were right on time with their arrivals. Jackie threw on the oven mittens quickly so that once Hyde stepped into the kitchen, he'd see her pulling the cookies out.

"Did you make cookies?" Hyde asked, smelling the hot little thank you's made just for him. Jackie placed the hot cookie sheet on top of the stove and did a little pose towards the batch. Hyde grinned approvingly at her. Before he could make his way to try one for himself, Jeff pushed through and reached to grab one.

"Alright, chocolate chip!" But sadly for Jeff, Jackie slapped his hand away. She straightened out her apron and shined another smile to Hyde's direction.

Jeff walked back over the Zach and Josh, wearing a dejected look holding his features in a frown.

"Your new mom totally just slapped me Zach! She's not so cool."

Zach didn't answer his lovable but moronic friend. Instead, he watched as his dad wrapped his arm around Jackie and kissed her on the cheek. The smiles they shared melted the protective ice around Zach's heart just a little bit more. He looked to Kat who was smiling at the little exchange. His whole grudge suddenly felt ridiculous. His dad had never been happier, and Jackie's attempts to gain acceptance was really playing at his guilt.

Zach decided that Jeff was probably wrong when he said that Jackie wasn't cool. He was still going to keep his distance just a little bit longer, because if there was anything that he learned growing up, it was to not completely trust anyone unless they earned that trust. However, that same feeling that told him that Jackie was bad news, was now rubbing it in his face that he might have been wrong all along. She had only lived in his home for one day, and she was already worming her way into his heart. It was hard for Zach to admit when he was wrong, but he knew that this woman would not shove his misconstrued judgment in his face. Jackie, the woman that baked cookies just for his dad and made him a promise staring him right in the face, was not capable of that kind of cruelty.

Zach made his way over to his dad and Jackie. He grabbed one of Jackie's cookies from the still hot metal sheet, but he was not met with the same punishing slap that Jeff received. Zach met Jackie's eyes as she gave him the go ahead to eat one, and he just hoped that she caught on to the true meaning behind his small gesture.

* * *

Jackie reclined on her new bed, the bed that she and Steven now shared. She let her silk robe hang loosely on her body as she waited for Hyde to come out of the bathroom so that they could greet their first night together as roommates. She gave him a sleepy grin when he finally emerged, wearing gray sweat pants and a wife beater. Jackie didn't even try to hide the fact that she was checking him out.

Hyde climbed into bed next to her and pushed the strands of hair that hung in her face out of the way. He gazed into her eyes, and Jackie never felt so loved before. She lifted her head up, her mouth seeking his and captured his lips in a passionate kiss.

Once they pulled away, they relaxed in their favorite position with her laying her head on his chest. Hyde wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. Both of them cherished the bubbling love that filled their chests that had been absent for so long in their lives. They were finally home with each other, and there was no way either of them would turn back now.

Hyde thought about how strange Fate was. Everything just seemed to fall into place once Jackie came back. The color in his life dulled when she left, and as cheesy as it sounded, it began to brighten upon her return. The only thing that left an etch in their perfection was the life Jackie left behind in Boston and the son that she still had been avoiding since she last talked to him.

"Jackie?" Hyde broke the calming silence. "Did you call Bobby today like you said you would?"

Jackie buried her face in the white cotton of her shirt, too ashamed to admit her confession.

"Jackie…"

"No, Steven. I didn't." Jackie sighed and rolled over away from him. He followed her quickly as he propped his head on his hand to gaze down at her as she sulked on the pillow.

"And why not?" He questioned, prodding her to spit it out.

"Because Steven," Jackie whined. She pouted out her bottom lip, but this time it was out of true uncomfortable sadness rather than trying to get her way. "I just don't want what happened last time to happen again. I know if it does, I'll cry all night long."

Hyde frowned down, getting a little angry at what Bobby was unknowingly doing to his mother. "Jackie, you can't take his crap then. If he tries to blow you off, you just have to tell him to listen to you. You aren't going to get anywhere if you let him walk all over you like that."

Jackie continued to pout, knowing fully well that he was right.

Hyde leaned over and began stroking her hair. "He isn't a bad kid, Jackie. He just needs to know what's up."

Jackie sighed and looked up into Hyde's clear blue eyes. "You know I hate it when you're right."

Hyde just smirked down at her and kissed her lips in response. "I know, but you'll get over it. I'm going to tell Zach goodnight."

Hyde left Jackie alone, mostly so that she would actually make the phone call. Jackie stared at the phone sitting on the night stand for a few moments, coaxing herself to find courage. Once she felt her confidence flood into her, she dialed her son's number as quickly as she could before she'd lose it again.

"Hi, Bobby. We need to talk…"

* * *

**AN2: **Stick around for the epilogue! It'll be out within the next few days! Review! 


	18. Epilogue: Come Clarity

**AN:** So here it is. The final installment. I really hope you guys find this fitting as an ending, because I truly do.

I would just like to take this moment to thank all the reviewers who have stuck through this with me the entire time. Your positive reinforcement has been amazing and has really boosted my confidence as a writer. I'd like to give a special thanks to those of you who left me thorough reviews. Your analysis was always wonderful to read, and your thoughts really made me feel like I accomplished something in writing this story.

And most of all, I'd like to say thanks to elphabachan. You're an amazing friend and your support always helps me during my writing hurdles.

Read and Review!

* * *

Epilogue: Come Clarity 

_**December 9, 2004**_

_3 years later…_

Jackie snapped a dish rag at Hyde, swatting his butt as he passed by. She couldn't help but giggle at her husband though when he turned around and pointed a playful finger at her. He was a snarky mouth and deserved her retaliation, but Jackie could never stay mad at him for too long. She turned back around to continue drying the lunch dishes from the rack that she had just washed when something she needed to tell him crossed her mind.

"Oh Steven. I almost forgot. Bobby is coming in for Christmas this year, and he's flying in on the 15th." Jackie opened up a cupboard to place the plate she was drying in it. "Now I don't want any little arguments from you two this year, alright?"

Hyde rolled his eyes and held up his hands. "Hey, it isn't me who starts it."

Jackie turned around and frowned at him. "That's not the point, Steven. I've already talked to him about keeping his comments to a minimum. You know he's just having a hard time adjusting to our marriage is all."

"Jackie," Hyde's voice dropped, showing his annoyance. "We've been married for 2 years now! I think it's about time he got off his high horse about his damn dad being better than me."

Jackie chose to ignore the comment. "I just don't see why Zach can get along with him well enough but you two fight more than anybody."

Hyde let out a defeated sigh at his wife's attempts to sway the conversation away from her son's faults. She was a mother though; it was just something she had to do.

Hyde left the kitchen and made his way to the living room, where he found Zach and Josh sprawled out on his L shaped couch. They were watching some indistinguishable movie on TV, and it appeared like they had just woken up. Hyde sat down in his chair and snatched the remote from off of the table and changed the channel.

"Hey!" Zach exclaimed, not even moving from his lazy position on the couch. "We were watching that!"

"My TV, my channel." Hyde called to them, changing it to the news to get his daily dose of the lies the government is telling the masses. Once he realized the particular story didn't interest him to much, he turn back to the boys.

"Why the hell are you guys sleeping in so late anyways?" Hyde barked at them, getting a kick out of their pained expressions. Yeah, they had hangovers.

Zach rubbed his head and tried to focus his eyes. "We had another late show."

Hyde turned back around to face the TV, satisfied temporarily with his response. Just then, Jackie walked into the living room. "Anyone have anymore dishes out here?"

But they didn't even hear her words. The story just breaking on the TV was far more captivating.

"_Last night, December 8, 2004, at 10:18 p.m. at Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, former guitarist of Pantera and current guitarist of Damageplan, Darrell Abbott or more commonly known to his fans as Dimebag Darrell, was shot and killed. Gunman Nathan Gale was reported of jumping on stage, making a comment about Pantera, and firing several times at close range at Abbott. 3 others were killed and 3 were wounded in the shooting."_

The rest of the news report was a blur to Zach. He sat up to listen closer to the newswoman's report with his mouth opened wide. During the middle of it, he barely heard Jackie gasp and say to his dad something about John Lennon being shot on the same day. He could hardly comprehend anything. Shock had taken over his body, and he was a blubbering idiot in his mind.

Jackie looked to the two shell shocked boys who looked like they had just seen a train wreck and couldn't tear their eyes away. Once the news report was over, they both just looked to their folded hands in their lap. Josh was the first to stand.

"I need some fresh air." He said as he quickly ran out of the room and out the front door.

Jackie bit her lip and looked to her husband, her rock. He knew that one of them had to go after Josh, and even though he knew he had to be there for Zach, he had a much closer relationship with Josh than Jackie. He stood up and patted his wife on the shoulders.

"I'm going to talk to Josh." He whispered in her ear and left her alone with Zach.

Jackie stared down at the boy that she had come to know as her son. He might not have been Bobby, but he held a special place in her heart as if he were her own child. Over the years, Zach had become comfortable with Jackie as his mother. Jackie told him a long time ago if he wanted to call her mom, he could, but he just never got around to it. He saw Jackie as the mom he never had and the one he always wanted, but there was still a tiny barrier he just couldn't leap over.

Jackie sat down next to Zach on the couch, watching his reaction closely. He was still staring at his hands in his lap, not saying a word. Jackie wanted to reach out and hug him, but she was afraid that she might make the wrong move with him. She hadn't comforted him before, and she didn't know what to expect.

"I just don't understand." Zach managed to say through his dry throat. "Why would someone just do that? How… how could someone just kill him? He was amazing." His voice trailed off to barely a whisper.

Jackie was at a complete loss of words. How was she supposed to explain something that not even she understood? However, she tried her best. "I really don't know, Zach. There are just some people in this world who don't think completely about the consequences of their actions, or the people hurt by them."

Zach continued to stare at his folded hands trying his best to fully understand it all. "Did I hear you say something to Dad about John Lennon?"

Jackie cautiously sat closer to him. "Yes. He died on the same day in 1980. He was shot too."

Zach finally looked up and met Jackie's mismatched eyes. "I don't think it was just a coincidence."

Zach's raw emotion radiating from his crystal blue eyes showed Jackie just how tattered and torn he was about the death. Jackie choked on the empathy and sorrow that welled their way inside her throat. She couldn't help but feel that there was a double meaning to Zach's words that applied just as much to their relationship as it did to Gale's motive for taking his icon away.

Jackie watched as Zach began to slip away again, and before he could bail on her like she knew he would, she caught him from falling with her motherly arms. Jackie pulled Zach into an embrace and squeezed as tightly as she could, making sure he understood perfectly well that she was here for him. A little too her surprise, he hugged her back just as tightly, needing her support. Jackie rubbed his head that still sported his shaved hair cut and assured him that everything would be okay.

Once Zach pulled away, he looked back to the TV and rubbed his hand across his head and down to the back of his neck, trying his best to calm the overwhelming heat taking over his body. He looked to Jackie who now had fresh tears in her eyes.

"I'm going to call Kat and tell her what happened." Zach said while standing up. He began to walk away but stopped just behind her and beside the couch. He had to do something, something that just felt right.

Zach turned around and placed his hand on Jackie's shoulder and looked down at her nervously. He stuttered on his words at first, but once they came out, they were clear as glass. "Thanks, Mom."

Jackie watched stunned as Zach walked away. As _her son_ walked away. She lightly touched the delicate tears that didn't cease to fall along with her frozen state. The warm saline soothed her nerves, and Jackie smiled through the sadness. He was her son, but more importantly, she was his mother. There were no questions to be voiced anymore. Zach made that point very clear to her.

Clarity shined its liberating light upon them, a swan song to serenade their ending struggles away.

* * *

**AN2: **And that's the end! I really can't believe it's actually over. I really hope you guys have enjoyed my story and loved the ending as much as I did. The italicized news description of Dimebag Darrell's death is from an article that appeared on MTV New's website only hours after he was killed. RIP Dime...

"_Come Clarity" by In Flames. This song is the inspiration for the title, and I think the lyrics really apply to this story. It's a beautiful song, and I've listened to it during every difficult scene I've had to write. I recommend that everyone listen to it. Just type in Come Clarity on You Tube and the music video should be the very first one to appear.  
_

_Rushing through thirty  
Getting older every day... by two  
My soul drawing pictures of innocent times  
Can you add color... inside these lines?_

_I want you to lead me  
Take me somewhere  
Don't want to live  
In a dream... one more day_

_I want you to lead me  
Take me somewhere  
Don't want to live  
In a dream... one more day_

_Sure it would change my perspective  
I'm certain I would change today  
I'm certain it would change our ways  
Would things fall into place?_

_I want you to lead me  
Take me somewhere  
Just don't want to live  
In a dream one more day _

_Take me somewhere  
Just don't want to live  
In a dream one more day_

Just to let you guys know, I'm coming out with a new story soon called Nowhere But Lost. Be watching for it.


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